Kylian Mbappé's relationship with Paris Saint-Germain started with great fanfare but is ending amid ongoing tensions and without a Champions League trophy.
Mbappé joined as a teenage phenom from Monaco in 2017 in a
deal worth 180 million euros ($194 million). On Sunday, the 25-year-old
superstar played his last home game for PSG and scored in a 3-1 loss to
Toulouse.
He was loudly jeered by sections of the crowd at Parc des
Princes when his name was announced — two days after finally making it official
he is leaving — though Mbappé got a warmer welcome from other PSG fans.
As the soccer world discussed his imminent departure on
Friday, French champion PSG did not comment on the matter.
The late-evening announcement by Mbappé may have taken PSG
by surprise since it was in a video posted on X, and not through the club’s
communication department.
Between then and the Sunday night kickoff, there were more
than 20 posts on PSG’s official feed on X.
Those included an exclusive look at next season’s home
strip, an item on a betting site, a clip of PSG’s women’s team reaching the
French Cup final, and kickoff times for the match in different parts of the
world — but nothing on Mbappé.
No tribute was paid to him by the club during Sunday’s game,
either, albeit not the last match of the season.
It was left to the ultra supporters from the CUP, or Paris
Ultras Collective, to honor him with a banner and a giant tifo in his image.
The fracture between the cash-rich Qatari-owned club and its
256-goal record scorer appears to run deep.
Here’s a look at how relations deteriorated.
NEW CONTRACT
PSG may be feeling let down by Mbappé after offering him the
most lucrative contract in the club’s history when he signed a new contract in
2022.
But Mbappé was frustrated because he felt promises to sign
key players — notably a top-class center forward like Robert Lewandowski so he
could play in his favored position wide left — were not kept.
When he signed the new deal, he was paraded in front of fans
holding up a jersey with 2025 on it. Mbappé was reportedly annoyed about this,
because the contract was until 2024 with the option for an extra year.
OFFER DECLINED
Mbappé stunned PSG in June last year by informing the club
he would not take the option for an extra year. With his contract effectively
into its final year, it put PSG in the position of needing to sell Mbappé to
avoid losing him for free when the contract expired.
PSG insisted he would be sold but Mbappé wanted to see out
the final year, so the club flexed its muscle by leaving him out of the
pre-season tour to Japan in late July.
Al-Hilal came in with a world record $332 million bid, but
Mbappé was not interested and reportedly refused to meet with representatives
from the Saudi club in Paris.
FALLOUT AND TENSIONS
After being left out of the preseason tour, Mbappé posted a
photo of himself online after training with some fringe players, stopping to
sign autographs outside the club’s training complex.
The standoff continued when Mbappé was dropped for this
season’s opening league game, watching from the stands as PSG drew 0-0.
With Lionel Messi gone and Neymar on his way to join Saudi
club Al-Hilal, PSG coach Luis Enrique simply could not afford to keep
overlooking Mbappé. He returned in the next league game and scored a penalty.
TIME TO LEAVE
Relations appeared to be repaired for a while, but they took
another turn for the worse when Mbappé informed club president Nasser Al
Khelaifi in mid-February that he was leaving, although he did not go public
until Friday.
In between times, Mbappé’s relationship with Enrique —
knowing his best player would be leaving — reportedly became more tense.
Enrique showed his authority in recent weeks by either
putting Mbappé on the bench or taking him off during important games.
LOWER STATUS
Mbappé’s near-untouchable status at PSG was suddenly in
question.
When Enrique replaced him midway through the second half
against bitter rival Marseille on March 31, a surprised Mbappé appeared to
mutter something negative as he walked off.
Enrique said he was rotating Mbappé to keep him fresher for
the bigger games. They jumped into each other’s arms after PSG knocked
Barcelona out of the Champions League quarterfinals, with Mbappé scoring twice
in the second leg.
But resting Mbappé made no difference in the semifinals
against Borussia Dortmund, with Mbappé failing to score as PSG lost both games
1-0.
Once again, PSG fell short in European soccer’s elite club
competition.
Mbappé’s last PSG match will be on May 25 in the French Cup final against Lyon. AP
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