Was Mbappe behind Pochettino's sacking? Former PSG manager breaks his silence

Former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Mauricio Pochettino has responded to reports that stated that sensational striker Kylian Mbappe had a role to play in the Argentine's departure from the Ligue 1 champions.

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After over a month of being sacked as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager, Mauricio Pochettino has finally broken his silence over his ouster and slammed reports that claimed that sensational striker Kylian Mbappe was behind the Ligue 1 champions' decision.

In an interview with Argentinian outlet infobae, Pochettino said, "What I think is that PSG has done everything possible to retain Kylian, and I also agree with that. He is one of the best players in world football today, and I think that PSG, having all the resources to do it, have convinced him to stay. But I don't think Kylian is the one who designed the new project either [that saw me leave]."

"Those who rule, in this case, the president, are those who would have thought that the most convenient thing was a new project in the club," the Argentine, who was replaced by Christophe Galtier, added.

Pochettino also stated that there is an obsession with winning the UEFA Champions League, with anything but lifting the trophy deemed a failure. "The only thing that had changed a bit now [from when he played for PSG] is the expectation, which is the Champions League, the Champions League, and the Champions League," Pochettino said. "The obsession is the Champions League, and everything that is not winning the Champions League is synonymous with failure, but not for us. I believe that," he said.

"We have done a job in which we have been honest, we have worked as hard as we could, and we had that misfortune in the last minutes against Madrid … In other words, I think we have done a good job, perhaps not recognized externally because the expectation was to win the Champions League," the former PSG boss added.

There is no doubt that the Parisian club is under more pressure to win the Champions League, given the amount of money put into the team to achieve the first-ever victory for the club. It's unlikely that every season will be viewed as a failure until the current Ligue 1 winners take home the trophy. It does not consider every year it fails to win the Champions League as a lost season, much like Bayern Munich, which rules the Bundesliga.