Allan Saint-Maximin has hit back at Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho’s claim that he is ‘overweight’ after revealing he was the same size at Newcastle United.
Saint-Maximin has been left out of the squad for Fenerbahce’s trip to Ibrox to face Rangers in the Turkish giants’ do-or-die Europa League clash on Thursday. Saint-Maximin has only made three appearances in 2025 – all as a substitute – having previously been a regular starter following his loan move from Al-Ahli last summer.
Saint-Maximin went through a ‘very difficult’ time earlier this year after his father was hospitalised and after being left at home, on his 28th birthday, the Frenchman took to Instagram to declare that ‘it will take more than that to bring me down…when lies take the elevator, truth takes the stairs’. Mourinho, in response, quipped that he did not know that Saint-Maximin had a ‘talent for poetry’.
“When a footballer trains well he will become fit, can climb stairs and does not need an elevator,” the Fenerbahce boss hissed. “But if he doesn’t train well, if he comes in late and is overweight, he needs an elevator to go up because he gets tired very quickly on the stairs.”
Saint-Maximin took to social media once again to reveal that he was the same weight, 84kg, when he was a starter at Newcastle in the Premier League in 2022 and a kilogram heavier when he was in the first XI at Fenerbahce earlier this season. The Frenchman captioned the post: “Lying gives flowers, but does not bear fruit.”
Saint-Maximin’s brother, Kurtys, added: “Being special means showing class when the moment calls for it, not kicking a soldier when they’re down. In life, you have to own up to your choices. Feeling targeted proves that you have something to reproach yourself for.
“Attacking someone who is at their lowest with slander on their birthday is not classy, especially when you know there’s injustice involved. Dirty laundry should be washed in private.”
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/allan-saint-maximin-makes-newcastle-31189569
