English Premier League
Nasser Al-Khelaifi reveals agreement with Florentino Perez and names PSG trio for Ballon d’Or
Nasser Al-Khelaifi says he reached an agreement with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, while naming Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Fabian Ruiz as players he believes deserve to win this year’s Ballon d’Or.
The president of the European Club Association and Paris Saint-Germain spoke at a news conference after the association’s general assembly on Tuesday. He also renewed his defence of Perez, saying the Real Madrid president and the club deserved greater respect for their contribution to football.
“Florentino and Real Madrid deserve more respect,” Al-Khelaifi said, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. “He has done everything for football, and I don’t know how many Champions Leagues they have won in recent years.”
He added: “During the half an hour we spoke, we reached an agreement.”
Al-Khelaifi did not disclose what the agreement with Perez concerned.
Al-Khelaifi rules out FIFA presidency
The Paris Saint-Germain president was also asked about the ongoing discussion surrounding FIFA and firmly denied that he was considering succeeding Gianni Infantino as president of world football’s governing body.
“I have absolutely no interest in FIFA; that is not my goal,” he said. “I am enjoying what I do. I am thinking about continuing to grow with the European Club Association, as you saw today.”
Al-Khelaifi said he wanted to take a positive approach despite the difficulties facing football.
“I want to be positive,” he added. “As I said, it is sad to see what we are seeing, but we need to be positive in order to change things.”
Three PSG players in Ballon d’Or contention
Asked about the Ballon d’Or race, Al-Khelaifi avoided directly setting his candidates against players from other clubs but admitted he would like one of his own players to receive the award.
“Don’t put me in trouble with the other clubs,” he said. “Obviously, I want one of the three players from my team to win it: Dembele, Kvaratskhelia or Fabian Ruiz, who also deserves it.”
He also acknowledged his close knowledge of former Paris Saint-Germain player Kylian Mbappe, while praising the Real Madrid forward.
“You know that I know Kylian Mbappe well, and that he is one of the best players in the world,” Al-Khelaifi said.