The sports director of Paris SG, Leonardo, was dismissed from his duties on Saturday after his club’s last game of the season, according to an informed source on the subject who confirmed a version released by various media.
The dismissal of the 52-year-old Brazilian, who held the position since 2019, It came hours after the Parisian club extended the contract of French star Kylian Mbappé until 2025.
Mbappe’s contract extension came before PSG’s 5-0 victory over Metz. As soon as the celebrations of the tenth national title ended, the Prime Video, RMC, France Bleu Paris, Le Parisien and L’Equipe media reported PSG’s decision to part with its sporting director.
The club chaired by Nasser Al Khelaifi, invigorated by the medium-term commitment of its star striker, launched important maneuvers to give a second wind to its sporting project.
Leonardo concludes his second stint as sports director of the club, after holding the position between 2011 and 2013. The Brazilian also played for PSG from 1996 to 1997. His name has been on the radar for several weeks, as has coach Mauricio Pochettino, who could also leave soon despite having a contract until 2023.
Leonard was the architect of the incorporation of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi last yearbut his reputation was hit by the disappointing season of the Parisian team, eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16 against Real Madrid.
(Can read: Hernán Darío Herrera, DT of Nacional, asks for respect from the DT of Junior).
The Portuguese Luis Campos, who has passed through Lille and Monaco, where he worked with Mbappé, could take over the sports management of PSG, according to various media.
The image of the former Brazilian was marked by the recent debacle of PSG against Real Madrid, when his team sank in 17 minutes to fall 3-1, after having one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals. The disaster called into question his hiring policy, with many star purchases and few sales and his excessive “picking up” of players.
Besides, Leonardo was left out of the main topic: getting Mbappé’s contract extension, led directly by the club’s president, who successfully resisted Real Madrid’s advances.
First sporting director of the Qatari PSG, from 2011 to 2013, the elegant and polyglot Brazilian had built the foundations of the team from the beginning, first with Javier Pastore, then with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Marco Verratti or Marquinhos, these last two still pillars of the team. In his second spell with the Parisian club, Leonardo helped build a team that reigns supreme in France, but leaves without claiming the European crown that has become PSG’s obsession.
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