Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier was thankful for no more penalty drama after Neymar equalised from the spot in the 1-1 draw with Monaco.

Neymar and Kylian Mbappe clashed in the 5-2 win over Montpellier on August 13 after the France international tried to take the ball off Neymar for a penalty, having already missed a spot-kick earlier in the game.

The two reportedly resolved the issue after the match, but there was potential for the situation to flare up again as PSG won another spot-kick when 1-0 down at home to Monaco on Sunday.

Neymar won it after being fouled by Guillermo Maripan, and picked himself up off the floor to fire home from 12 yards to level things up, before celebrating with Mbappe.

And Galtier was glad there was no more disagreement over penalty duties, telling Prime Video: "On this match, Kylian Mbappe was the number 1 penalty taker and Neymar was number 2.

"After talking with Kylian, I saw that he had been happy to congratulate Ney[mar]. This is how it should be.

"They are great players, it's up to them to feel it. The important thing is that he scored and that Kylian came to congratulate."

Paris Saint-Germain were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at home to Monaco as their 100 per cent start to the season came to an end.

PSG started the first half well, but a pinpoint Kevin Volland finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma put the visitors ahead at the break.

Christophe Galtier’s team pressed for an equaliser in the second period and found one when VAR awarded a penalty for a foul on Neymar, who stepped up himself to stroke home the spot-kick.

The hosts pushed for a winner, but could not find one as Monaco held on for a point.

PSG were ultimately frustrated not to pick up all three points, while Monaco will be glad to escape the capital with a draw.

The Ligue 1 champions dominated the early possession but fell behind after 20 minutes when Volland latched onto an Aleksandr Golovin throughball before rifling into the bottom-right corner.

Monaco nearly had a second before half-time, but Donnarumma scampered across his line just in time to tip Caio Henrique’s curling free-kick wide.

PSG hit the frame of the goal twice in quick succession in first-half stoppage time as a Lionel Messi drive rebounded off the left post straight to Kylian Mbappe, whose first-time effort hit the other upright.

Wissam Ben Yedder could have made it 2-0 after the interval when Donnarumma was caught well out of his goal, but the France international’s long-range shot went over the crossbar.

Neymar and Renato Sanches both went close to levelling for the hosts, but a combination of Alexander Nubel and poor finishing maintained Monaco’s lead.

Galtier’s men finally equalised when VAR awarded a spot-kick for a Guillermo Maripan trip on Neymar. The Brazil international fired the resulting penalty into the bottom-left corner.

Monaco came under increasing pressure in the remaining minutes as PSG hunted a winner, Achraf Hakimi being denied by the post, but Philippe Clement’s team held on for an impressive point.

Paris Saint-Germain will be out to continue their lightning start to the Ligue 1 season against one of the few teams to depose them as Ligue 1 champions in the QSI era when Monaco visit the Parc des Princes.

New coach Christophe Galtier has seen his team claim three wins from three league games, their latest victory coming at the expense of a Lille side he guided to the title in 2020-21.

PSG thrashed Les Dogues 7-1 and already hold a two-point lead at the top of the table.

Monaco, who edged out PSG in 2016-17, look unlikely to challenge them this season, having taken four points from three games.

It would be harsh to overly criticise that points return but the consistency of PSG's star-studded squad has made early slip-ups something potential title rivals cannot afford.

And, after losing 4-1 at home to Lens last time out, Monaco have the appearance of a team who could be emphatically put to the sword by one of their former heroes.

PSG FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS

The superstar front three of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi did not gel in the spectacular fashion many anticipated following the latter's shock move from Barcelona last year.

This season, the fearsome triumvirate look to have established a devastating rapport.

PSG have scored 17 goals across their three league wins, the second-highest total at this stage in Ligue 1 history behind Rennes and their 18 scored in 1950-51 (also W3).

With the Mbappe-inspired hammering of Lille following five-goal efforts against both Montpellier and Clermont, PSG have scored at least five in each of their past four Ligue 1 matches in a run stretching back to last season.

They are only the second team to achieve that feat. The other team to do so was Reims between August and September 1952.

Messi has three goals to his name already while Neymar has found the net five times. It is Mbappe, however, who is the best bet for a hat-trick against his former club.

THREE THE MAGIC NUMBER FOR MBAPPE

With his treble against Lille, which saw him score eight seconds into the game at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, equalling a Ligue 1 record, Mbappe netted his third hat-trick of 2022.

That tally of three-goal showings is more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues, the France international also hitting hat-tricks against Clermont in April and Metz in May.

He has 23 league goals to his name in this calendar year, comfortably outperforming his expected goals (xG) of 16.9, highlighting his supreme reliability.

Though Monaco will be concerned by the threat posed by PSG's cavalcade of goalscoring talent, they will be heartened by the fact the Parisians have conceded three goals this term, and they have a potential means through which to exploit the hosts' defensive vulnerabilities.

CAIO THE CREATIVE OUTLET

Caio Henrique made only one first team appearance for Atletico Madrid, but he has blossomed into a hugely important player for Monaco since joining in 2020.

Last season, the full-back produced eight assists in the league and has already managed to set up a goal this term.

PSG had previously been linked with the Brazilian, and they will be wary of his threat when Monaco get the ball to him on the left.

Six of Caio Henrique's assists since the start of last season have come from a cross. Jonathan Clauss (7) is the sole player to deliver more in that manner.

GALTIER'S MONACO MISERY

If Monaco are searching for encouragement from the numbers, they should look towards Galtier's record against the Principality club.

The former Saint-Etienne and Nice boss has won just 21 per cent of his games against Monaco as a coach (4/19).

Only against Marseille (16 per cent – 4/25) and PSG (17 per cent – 4/24) does he have a worse record among teams he has faced more than five times in the top flight.

Monaco are also unbeaten in their last six away games in Ligue 1 and have won three of their last four league matches against PSG.

But, with PSG having avoided defeat in their past 23 home Ligue 1 games since losing 1-0 to Lille in April 2021, the odds are stacked against Monaco extending their impressive run of form on their travels.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi insists there are no issues between star players Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, comparing any frustrations between the pair to sibling squabbles.

Rumours of discontent at the Parc des Princes have been swirling since Paris Saint-Germain's 5-2 win against Montpellier on August 13, where Neymar decided to assume penalty duties following an earlier miss from the spot by Mbappe.

During that game, Mbappe reportedly appeared frustrated with multiple teammates, which was said to have boiled over in the dressing rooms afterwards, requiring Sergio Ramos to step in and keep the peace.

Soon after, Neymar was seen to have liked a tweet that said Mbappe's new contract with the French giants had him acting like the "owner of PSG".

After the Champions League draw on Thursday – where Paris Saint-Germain landed in Group H with Juventus, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa – Al-Khelaifi was adamant that any supposed rift between his superstars was being overblown.

"No, no. There's no problem at all," he said. "I think it's really... I mean, I think it's you making a problem especially, and the media. 

"There's no problem at all. I mean, I can argue with my brother, or sister, it's normal. But the media, because it's Kylian Mbappé... they are good friends and they are very good team-mates. And they will always be good team-mates."

Through three games of the Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain are the only team with three wins, and have done so with 17 goals for, and only three against.

"It's a good start, it's just the start," Al-Khelaifi said. "They need to work harder and there's a lot of things to work on and to improve, because the season is too long, it's just the start. We are very happy with the start."

Kylian Mbappe equalled the record for the fastest goal in Ligue 1 history as he struck just eight seconds as part of a hat-trick in Paris Saint-Germain's emphatic 7-1 win over Lille on Sunday.

The 23-year-old superbly lifted over Leo Jardim almost immediately from kick-off, with Ligue 1 announcing it matched Michel Rio's eight-second strike for Caen against Cannes in 1992.

That set the stage for an utterly dominant performance from the champions as Lionel Messi, Achraf Hakimi and Neymar all added goals before half-time.

Neymar and Jonathan Bamba exchanged goals shortly after the interval before Mbappe added two more in the final 24 minutes to cap a memorable display.

PSG started in some style as Mbappe latched onto Messi's ball over the top and lobbed Jardim inside 10 seconds.  

Mbappe hit the side netting after rounding Jardim midway through the first half, yet Messi doubled the visitors' advantage with a cool finish from 12 yards after a clever one-two with Nuno Mendes.

Hakimi then added a third six minutes before half-time with a composed finish having been played in by Neymar, who got in on the act four minutes later with a clinical strike after Messi's deflected pass fell kindly for him.

Neymar grabbed his second seven minutes into the second half following a wonderful dummy from Mbappe, before Bamba pulled one back for Lille with a close-range finish after Gianluigi Donnarumma had saved his initial effort. 

Mbappe and Neymar combined again superbly to make it 6-1 as the former lashed home. They were at it once more three minutes from full-time when Mbappe ran onto Neymar's pass to thump past a helpless Jardim and cap an emphatic victory.

Kylian Mbappe equalled a Ligue 1 record when he scored just eight seconds into Paris Saint-Germain's clash with Lille on Sunday.

The France international lifted a fine effort over Leo Jardim after racing beyond a static Lille defence to meet Lionel Messi's sumptuous ball over the top almost immediately from kick-off.

Ligue 1 announced it matched Michel Rio's eight-second strike for Caen against Cannes in 1992.

It also marked the 23-year-old Mbappe's 200th goal at club level, with 27 coming for Monaco and 173 for PSG.

Mbappe, who scored 39 goals in all competitions last season, opened his account for the 2022-23 campaign last weekend in a 5-2 win over Montpellier.

Louis Saha is frustrated by the behaviour of Kylian Mbappe, who the former Manchester United striker says is sending "the wrong message".

Mbappe has been criticised over the past week after his actions in Paris Saint-Germain's 5-2 win over Montpellier.

The striker, who signed a lucrative deal to stay at PSG for a further three years back in May, snubbing Real Madrid's interest, was in a stroppy mood on what was his first start of the season.

He missed a penalty in the 23rd minute, but created the first goal soon after when his low cross was turned into his own net by Falaye Sacko.

A spat between Mbappe and Neymar then became apparent when the latter stepped up to take PSG's second penalty of the game.

Mbappe was sure he should have remained on spot-kick duties, and in his frustration to raise the issue with Neymar he even barged past Lionel Messi.

Neymar subsequently converted from 12 yards before helping himself to a second. Mbappe got on the scoresheet in the 69th minute, yet did not celebrate.

He also reacted furiously to Vitinha's decision to pass to Messi rather than him late in the first half, throwing his arms up in disgust and seemingly refusing to continue with the attack. 

PSG coach Christophe Galtier explained Mbappe's behaviour as being down to a lack of match fitness, and on Friday confirmed any row between the France forward and Neymar was over, though Saha was not at all impressed.

"I would think it's unacceptable for a player of this nature," Saha said in an exclusive interview with Stats Perform.

"Yes we all make mistakes, especially since he's a young player.

"But [being a young player] doesn't give you the position to do this, because all the people will be on his back. We will say, 'Wait a minute, we have seen a lot of things going on'.

"We've seen fights with Neymar. Doing that [throwing his arms up in the air after Vitinha's pass to Messi] after whatever choices from a player giving the ball, that's the wrong message. That's not helping.

"He still needs to show from the outside that he's remaining eager.

"You have ambition and all that, fine, there's no problem. You want to win, but you don't bring the right message to the other players - some very expensive players should be respected, some young players should be respected."

Saha does believe the 23-year-old's winning mentality is what makes him such an influential figure, however.

"He helps represent the youth, the really young guys who can work under pressure," Saha continued.

"He's got great communication skills, I like he's committed to football, but slowly beat by beat he can commit to messages about society. You have to be careful because you represent so much.

"It's all really impactful. He has more to give still to football and he has to remain humble, that he's still able to learn from people because getting too quickly into that position where you think you know better could be dangerous for his development.

"I'm really scared about that because he has more impact than he thinks on just football.

"In society he could be a gamechanger so I'd love for him to be slowly taught in some way to be an icon and an ambassador because he's very smart, he speaks three or four languages, and has winning spirit, I love it."

Kylian Mbappe and Neymar have patched up their differences at Paris Saint-Germain, but coach Christophe Galtier has not ruled out the prospect of a sensational departure before the transfer window closes.

Asked whether Neymar might move on before the September 1 deadline, Galtier indicated it was highly unlikely but not entirely out of the question.

A spat between Mbappe and Neymar became apparent during PSG's 5-2 Ligue 1 win over Montpellier last Saturday, with the pair seeming to disagree over penalty duties.

Mbappe missed an early spot-kick but thought he would have a chance to make amends when PSG were awarded a second penalty, only for Neymar to take over responsibility and make no mistake. It was clear Neymar considered he was next in line, but Mbappe may have thought the duty remained his.

It has led to suggestions of a rift between the star pair that could prove disruptive in the dressing room, with Mbappe looking best placed to win any such tug-of-war after signing a bumper three-year contract in May.

He scored later in the Montpellier game but refused to celebrate, to the frustration of a number of team-mates.

Galtier said the matter was put to bed during training this week, saying: "There's no malaise. We have been making plans, saying what we need to say to one another. I can confirm that in all honesty it's been a good week with everyone working hard to prepare well for the game against Lille.

"I have been involved in every session this week and any incidents from the Montpellier game were over from the following day onwards."

PSG travel to face Lille on Sunday as Galtier returns to the club he led to the 2020-21 Ligue 1 title.

Galtier warned that his players have to show maturity when considering who should take free-kicks and penalties.

"We have to show respect," he said. "There are situations in matches when the coach is far away, and my players have to show intelligence to know at which point they can give a present to a team-mate or make things easier for someone else to gain confidence by taking a penalty."

When the topic of Neymar and a possible departure was raised in Friday's press conference, Galtier did not entirely close the door on the idea.

"There are always surprises in the transfer window," the head coach said. "I haven't heard anything about Neymar asking to leave. I can see him training and working hard every day. He is performing well in the games so far.

"There is no feeling that he is on standby. But the transfer window is the transfer window."

For now, Neymar remains firmly in Galtier's plans, and the coach is planning on having Neymar, Mbappe and Lionel Messi as a front three this season, the coach's first campaign since joining from Nice.

If PSG get a penalty at Lille on Sunday, there seems sure to be no squabbling over who takes it.

"Who will take the penalty?" Galtier said. "The players will know it."

Brazil head coach Tite has rebuffed Kylian Mbappe's suggestion that World Cup qualifying is more difficult for teams in Europe than it is in South America.

Paris Saint-Germain and France forward Mbappe said in May that European teams have an advantage in the global showpiece due to playing "high-level matches" in qualifying.

Mbappe, who lifted the World Cup with France in 2018, added that football in South America "is not as developed as in Europe".

However, Brazil boss Tite does not agree with those comments and feels the quality of football in the CONMEBOL region is as high as anywhere in the world.

"Maybe he is talking about these Nations League clashes or European friendlies, but not World Cup qualifiers," Tite told ESPN.

"We don't have, with all due respect, Azerbaijan to play. We don't have anyone that gives you a break.

"The qualifiers here have a much higher degree of difficulty than the group stage [of European qualifying]."

The past four editions of the World Cup have been won by European teams – Italy in 2006, Spain in 2010, Germany in 2014 and France in 2018.

That is the longest run of victories for a single continent in the history of the tournament, with only one runner-up – Argentina in 2014 – coming from outside the continent.

Indeed, 12 of the previous 21 World Cups have been won by European teams, with South America responsible for the other nine winners.

France booked their spot at Qatar 2022 by finishing top of their qualifying group with five wins and three draws from their eight matches.

Brazil also went unbeaten in qualifying thanks to 14 wins and three draws en route to finishing six points ahead of Argentina in top spot in the 10-team pool.

Kylian Mbappe cut a frustrated figure during Paris Saint-Germain's 5-2 Ligue 1 win over Montpellier on Saturday, with boss Christophe Galtier blaming it on a lack of match fitness.

France international Mbappe, making his first start of the season, missed a penalty in the 23rd minute, but created the first goal soon after when his low cross was turned into his own net by Falaye Sacko.

Neymar then scored twice – the first from the penalty spot – before Mbappe opened his account for the season with a smart finish at the back post after 69 minutes.

Debutant Renato Sanches added a fifth for the hosts late on, while Wahbi Khazri and Enzo Tchato Mbiayi were on target for Montpellier.

After a 5-0 win over Clermont last weekend, PSG became the first side to score five or more goals in their first two games of a Ligue 1 season since Reims in 1961-62.

Mbappe looked unhappy throughout the game and refused to celebrate his goal, much to the frustration of a number of his team-mates.

He also reacted furiously to Vitinha's decision to pass to Lionel Messi rather than him late in the first half, throwing his arms up in disgust and seemingly refusing to continue with the attack. 

Galtier, though, does not believe too much should be read into it and says Mbappe is simply frustrated at being behind his team-mates in the fitness stakes.

"Kylian played his last game three weeks ago so I knew it was going to be tough on a physical level for him," the PSG boss told Canal+.

"He's a competitor. He wants to be good and he wants to be good quickly, but a top footballer is not on and off like that; it takes a little time to regain 100 per cent of his athletic abilities.

"When he's at 100 per cent, he'll make the difference even more. These are players who like to score, who want to score, who attack.

"It's a bit normal for him to be disappointed at being a little short physically compared to his team-mates."

Mbappe's penalty miss was just his second in Ligue 1, with both of them coming at the Parc des Princes.

PSG midfielder Marco Verratti attributed his team-mate's attitude to that miss and says he does not mind him sulking as it shows he cares about the club.

"Kylian is a player who always wants to do well," the Italy international told reporters. "I think that with the missed penalty he was sulking a bit but that's normal. He's a big player, he always wants to make a difference.

"When he misses something, he's disappointed, that's normal. But afterwards he bounced back with the first goal on which he was decisive, then afterwards with his goal.

"It's good when he is angry because it means that he cares a lot about this team, that he wants to do well, that he wants to make a difference."

PSG are next in action a week on Sunday when they visit Lille. 

Neymar scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain made it consecutive wins to start the Ligue 1 season with an emphatic 5-2 victory over Montpellier at the Parc des Princes on Saturday.

The champions started their title defence with a 5-0 win against Clermont last weekend in Christophe Galtier's first league game in charge, and they followed that up with a ninth success in their past 10 league games against Montpellier, despite a penalty miss from Kylian Mbappe midway through the first half.

The France international made amends soon after when his cross was turned into his own net by Falaye Sacko, before Neymar doubled the hosts' advantage from a second penalty of the game.

Neymar and Mbappe scored either side of Wahbi Khazri's goal for the visitors, while there were late efforts from debutant Renato Sanches and Montpellier's Enzo Tchato Mbiayi. 

Neymar scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain made it consecutive wins to start the Ligue 1 season with an emphatic 5-2 victory over Montpellier at the Parc des Princes on Saturday.

The champions started their title defence with a 5-0 win against Clermont last weekend in Christophe Galtier's first league game in charge, and they followed that up with a ninth success in their past 10 league games against Montpellier, despite a penalty miss from Kylian Mbappe midway through the first half.

The France international made amends soon after when his cross was turned into his own net by Falaye Sacko, before Neymar doubled the hosts' advantage from a second penalty of the game.

Neymar and Mbappe scored either side of Wahbi Khazri's goal for the visitors, while there were late efforts from debutant Renato Sanches and Montpellier's Enzo Tchato Mbiayi. 

Kylian Mbappe claimed it is a "big lie" to say players do not care about winning the Ballon d'Or as he named Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane as his main rivals for this year's award.

Mbappe was named on a 30-man shortlist to be named the best player in the world on Friday, having scored 39 goals in all competitions as Paris Saint-Germain won the Ligue 1 title last season.

No player across the top five European leagues matched Mbappe's total of 60 goal contributions across the 2021-22 campaign, although his France team-mate Benzema is the clear favourite after helping Real Madrid to the Champions League and LaLiga trophies. 

In an interview with France Football, Mbappe, who has previously backed Benzema to win the award, acknowledged he was desperate to be named the world's best.

"I've always wanted to do it early, without limiting my dreams. I want to win it and I don't mind admitting it," he said.

"I am convinced that lifting the first one is the most complicated. Once you have officially entered that select group, it will be easier to revalidate it.

"It is a big lie that a footballer is not interested in the Ballon d'Or. It is hypocritical to say that. 

"We all think about that. We talk about a team, and a collective, because in some way it serves to camouflage our ambition, but it is honest to admit that we care. 

"For two years I have been a more real candidate for the award. Before, I was content to be in the top 10. Now, on the other hand, I am among the four or five most regular.

"We don't talk about the Ballon d'Or in January, but we make comments when the lists appear. Later, as the ceremony draws near, it's obviously a topic of conversation in the group. We make our bets, we debate our opinions."

Asked for his own top three, the striker said: "I think Benzema, Mane and me."

Mbappe's first Ballon d'Or nomination came in 2017, when then-Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo beat Lionel Messi and Neymar to the award.

And the 23-year-old said being among the hopefuls early on in his career gave him confidence that he would make it at an elite level.

"Frankly, it was an honour," he recalled. "I was barely of legal age and I was already associated with those great names. It may seem trivial, but it was something important. A real step forward in my career. 

"Somehow it was a message that served to say that I was among the best. I accredited myself as an elite footballer in the eyes of the world, and it was significant to belong to that list at only 18 years old."

Meanwhile, the headline omission from 2022's list of nominees is seven-time winner and current holder Lionel Messi, who last failed to be nominated in 2005 – when Ronaldinho edged out Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in the voting.

As Mbappe recalled his PSG team-mate's victory last year, he said the Argentina star's nervousness on the eve of the gala demonstrated that his desire to be the best remains strong.

"The morning of the last gala he was nervous because a few hours later he was going to collect a seventh Ballon d'Or. Maybe he was thinking about what he was going to say, how he was going to lift the trophy," Mbappe said.

"I told him it is not possible to be restless after having been there six other times. I would have gone with a cigarette in my mouth! 

"But that shows that he retains the soul of a child and that he is still excited to choose to be the best. He has not tired."

Kylian Mbappe suggests Karim Benzema would have to "stop thinking about the Ballon d'Or forever" if he did not win the top individual award this year.

Benzema is the favourite among the 30 Ballon d'Or nominees announced by France Football on Friday.

The announcement marked the end of an era, with last year's winner Lionel Messi absent from the shortlist for the first time since 2005.

Mbappe is at the forefront of the next generation of contenders, and he told France Football he would put himself on the 2022 podium alongside Benzema and Sadio Mane.

But the forward's France team-mate Benzema is clearly a deserving winner, having inspired Real Madrid to LaLiga and Champions League glory.

Indeed, Mbappe feels Benzema will never take home the Ballon d'Or if this is not his year.

"Of course. He is 34 years old, has just made the season of his life, wins another Champions League by often being decisive," the Paris Saint-Germain striker told France Football.

"Instead of Karim, if I don't win there [in that position], I stop thinking about the Ballon d'Or forever."

It has been a fine week for Benzema, who surpassed Raul as Madrid's outright second-highest goalscorer in a midweek Super Cup win over Eintracht Frankfurt, while he was shortlisted for the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award ahead of his Ballon d'Or nomination.

But prior to the match in Helsinki, Benzema said: "I'm not like that in terms of whether I'm the best or not. I always give my all for this club, the best club in the world.

"I have to give more and more every year. It's true I had a very good season, but other people can comment on if I'm the best in the world. I'm focused on helping my team in matches, that's all I can say.

"I'm not thinking about [the Ballon d'Or]; there's trophies to win every year, that's very important. I always stress the importance of success for the team that leads to individual success."

After Madrid's victory, Los Blancos coach Carlo Ancelotti said there was "no doubt" that Benzema was the world's best player.

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier has backed Lionel Messi to shake off last term's challenges and have a "great season" after opening the Ligue 1 campaign with a double.

Messi capped off PSG's 5-0 win at Clermont on Saturday with two late goals, including a spectacular over-head strike. Neymar, Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos all scored in the first half.

The Argentine's double comes after he only managed 11 goals in all competitions in his first season in the French capital following his move from Barcelona, while he struggled to find cohesion alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe last term too.

"He had a bit of a difficult season last season, he had to fit in," Galtier told reporters.

"There was a radical change but in every season before that he has at least 30 goals.

"He went through a complete pre-season. When he has his bearing both in terms of his family life but also in terms of his club, the team and his fellow players, there is no reason why Leo should not have a great season."

Galtier, who took over at PSG from Mauricio Pochettino last month, was glowing in his praise of Messi having spoken at length during their pre-season tour of Japan.

"I spoke with Leo during our time in Japan and I also talked with my attacking players to make sure that he could perform well all the time," he said.

"Leo has a very sharp tactical sense, very clear. He has vision. He quickly sees where he has to go.

"The way he defends, the way he positions himself to play with others. He can get into the zone. He likes to play with the players he has around him.

"From there, when Leo smiles obviously, the team smiles too."

PSG are in action next weekend in the league at home to Montpellier.