Thierry Henry reveals reason why PSG are better off WITHOUT Kylian Mbappe – despite losing ‘a little magic’

Thierry Henry has revealed that he thinks Paris Saint-Germain is actually a ‘more stable’ team without star player Kylian Mbappe in it.

Speaking on CBS Sports Golazo, the former Arsenal striker and France captain shared his thoughts on how PSG have changed since Mbappe left for Real Madrid this summer.

“I think they are a team,” Henry told host Jamie Carragher. ‘They are a bit more stable, fewer counters. But they still lost Mbappe.”

Henry and Carragher reflected on PSG’s performance against Eredivise side PSV in the Champions League on Tuesday, which finished 1-1 at the Parc des Princes.

The 47-year-old Frenchman said the result was a fair reflection of PSG’s overall capabilities without Mbappe.

Paris Saint-Germain has ‘lost a bit of magic’ without Kylian Mbappé, according to Henry

However, 47-year-old Henry says the French team is ‘more stable’ without Mbappe

Mbappe (centre) spent six years at PSG, making 308 appearances in all competitions

‘It’s very difficult. In such a match, for example, Kylian can make it 2-1 or score a winning goal towards the end, a magical moment. He can turn it around,” Henry said.

‘You have lost a bit of magic, but the team looks a bit healthier in terms of balance. But the result is obviously not good enough.’

Carragher then asked whether Mbappe’s departure would take the pressure off PSG manager Luis Enrique and his players, but Henry believed this would not be the case.

“No, (it’s) the same,” he told Carrager. “You decided to get rid of those guys. The way it was with the crowd and everything, they decided to go young and I shouted that when I was in France.

‘But when you become young, you can’t become full of young too early. You’ve got to have some guys who can be around. Marquinhos stayed, (Achraf) Hakimi passes veteran status.

‘You need guys who can help those guys get better too. It doesn’t mean it’s easier just because Kylian Mbappé has left. I think Luis Enrique must be disappointed with that result tonight.’

Mbappe left PSG in May after spending six years at the Parisian club between 2018 and 2024. He played a total of 308 games in all competitions and scored an impressive 256 goals.

In June, Real Madrid announced they had signed Mbappé on a five-year contract and would wear the number 9 shirt of former Madrid striker and compatriot Karim Benzema. However, he remains embroiled in a legal dispute with PSG over unpaid wages.

Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti has praised Mbappe for his work rate and goal return so far this season – eight goals in 13 games – but he has also drawn criticism from other quarters for his lack of work off the ball.

He signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid in June 2024, fulfilling a lifelong ambition

Ancelotti expressed his support for Bellingham and said he is ‘very satisfied’ with his work

Henry believes the 25-year-old can do more, and says the Frenchman’s expectations are already much higher than those of any other player in the world.

“Is he (Mbappe) playing his best football as we saw when he was at Paris Saint-Germain?” Henry asked. ‘No, he still has to learn it. He needs to play better as a striker.

‘I’ll play devil’s advocate. We always say that it takes time for a player to adapt to a club. But unfortunately, if you wear this jersey, you don’t get much time.’