The German led the French side to domestic success and a Champions League final in August, but has paid the price for an underwhelming start this term
Kylian Mbappe has paid tribute to outgoing Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel, adding that "nobody will forget" the manager's time at the helm at Parc des Princes.
News broke on Christmas Eve that the German had been dismissed from his position at the club following his side's Ligue 1 triumph over Strasbourg on Wednesday.
Though PSG have yet to officially confirm the 47-year-old's exit, it brings to an end a two-and-a-half-year tenure that saw the former Borussia Dortmund boss complete a clean sweep of domestic honours and come closer to Champions League glory than any of his predecessors.
Striker Mbappe - who further established himself as one of the sport's most pre-eminent talents and continued to flourish under Tuchel's guidance in the 16th arrondissement - was quick to honour his manager, however, stressing his gratitude for the ex-Mainz man's contributions.
“It is sadly the law of football," the 22-year-old posted on his Instagram feed. "Nobody will forget your time here. You wrote a wonderful part of the club’s history and I say to you: thank you, coach.”
Tuchel's first major act after arriving to succeed Unai Emery in May 2018 was to sanction a permanent deal for Mbappe following a highly successful loan spell at the club from Monaco, and amid the latter's eye-catching World Cup-winning heroics in Russia with the France national team.
The German - who initially began his senior coaching career in charge of FC Augsburg II in 2007 - burnished his reputation at Mainz between 2009 and 2014, guiding them to a modern-day best finish of fifth in 2010-11.
His exploits earned him a move to Dortmund to succeed the outgoing Jurgen Klopp, where he continued to flourish as one of the most rated young coaches across Europe, claiming his first piece of silverware in the club's 2016–17 DFB-Pokal triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt.
It has been at PSG where he has enjoyed consistent success, however, notching up half-a-dozen trophies in total and guiding them to the Champions League final last term, where he was ultimately edged out by Hansi Flick's Bayern Munich.
Yet a relatively rocky start to their latest title defence, coupled with a nervy European group campaign that almost saw them crash into the Europa League, has seen Tuchel pay the price as the new year approaches.