When Kylian Mbappe took centre stage for Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid, it was a bittersweet occasion for both sets of supporters. Fans of the French club were delighted that their hero was sparkling in a tournament that has become an obsession for them to win, but were worried that they may not get to celebrate him for much longer; fans of the Spanish club were wary of the threat the prodigy posed, but giddy with excitement that those weapons could be deployed on their behalf next season.
Mbappe slalomed through Real’s tiring defence for yet another last-gasp winner, leaving nobody in doubt that he was — at least on current form — PSG’s top player, despite sharing a star-studded dressing room with Lionel Messi and Neymar. Mbappe has rescued PSG many times with late goals in the French league this season and he did so again on a European night at the Parc des Princes. The only snag was that his contract expires in June and he can walk away for free. PSG had rejected Real’s offer of 180 million euros last summer, but the Madrid club has remained a persistent suitor and Mbappe now has sole control of his future.
“Reste!” (Stay!) screamed the front page of French newspaper Le Parisien, while sports daily L’Equipe dedicated a double-page spread showcasing Mbappe’s outrageous statistics. With Messi playing below his best, still adapting to a new country and league, and Neymar dealing with injury issues, the 23-year-old Mbappe has largely carried the team. His goal against Madrid took his Champions League tally to 32. At the same age, Messi had a healthy 25, but five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo was on 10 and Neymar seven — although Neymar was already 21 when he first played in Europe. Indeed, since Mbappe’s Champions League debut on September 27, 2016, only Robert Lewandowski (58) and Cristiano Ronaldo (58) have had more goal-involvements than the French star boy (52; 32 goals, 20 assists),with Messi next best on 50.
Mbappe now has 22 goals (and 16 assists) this season in all competitions, while PSG’s second-top scorer is Messi (seven). Indeed Mbappe — Ligue 1’s top scorer in the last three seasons — has four more goals than Messi, Mauro Icardi, Angel Di Maria and Neymar combined in the current campaign. For all the outstanding talent around him, he is the man who makes the difference and PSG’s Qatari president, Nasser al-Khelaifi, can only hope a victory in the tie against Real might persuade the former Monaco hitman to sign a new contract.
After the victory over Real, Mbappe insisted he does not know where his future lies. “I’ve not decided my future,” he said. “I play for Paris Saint-Germain, one of the best clubs in the world. This game to influence my future? No — I’ve not decided, I give my best and then we will see what happens next season.” He then added: “How to ignore the [transfer] context? It’s easy, you have to play football. We ask too many questions, we say too many things. We talk about PSG and Real, two big clubs. I’m a PSG player, I’m always very happy.”
This was in line with what Mbappe had told La Gazzetta dello Sport, via Marca, earlier in the season. “In the second half of the year, I will concentrate on the pitch, on my football. It is the most important thing, especially in the second phase of the season, which is when trophies are won. So, I think this is not the time to let people talk about me. Everyone knows that I am a great player and, as such, my job is also to get people to talk about me [for what I do] on the pitch, not off it. So, of course, we will have to address the situation [regarding my future] because time is running out, but for the moment that is not the priority.”
While Mbappe has kept his cards close to his chest and presented a calm exterior, the news stories from Paris and Madrid paint a picture of two clubs desperate to get their man and sparing no effort towards the fulfilment of that endeavour.
The Independent reported that PSG is ready to pay Mbappe a basic weekly wage of more than 600,000 euros and closer to one million euros, far in excess of what Real can afford. What’s more, this offer will not be contingent on an agreement to stay long-term, something that further sweetens the deal for the player. According to The Times (UK), “[PSG president] al-Khelaifi and sporting director Leonardo are acting under instruction from Qatar to keep Mbappe at the Ligue 1 leaders beyond this winter’s World Cup, allowing the Middle East state to have the Frenchman, Lionel Messi and Neymar under club contract when it hosts the region’s first Finals.” That’s not the only political heavyweight seeking to influence matters. As per El Mundo, President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, is set to try and convince Mbappe to extend his stay in Paris.
L’Equipe reports that one of Mbappe’s conditions to renew with PSG would be for the footballing project to be built around him — he reportedly wants to be the centrepiece of a team that dominates Europe. Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, writing in the BBC, made the point that “[Mbappe’s] pursuit of excellence determines that being good will never be enough for him. What he craves — and what Real can potentially give him — is the opportunity to show he is the best of the best... Mbappe admired Cristiano Ronaldo and grew up watching his role model starring for Real. It helps that Mbappe is that rare breed of player who, like the Portuguese, can cope with the intense pressure that comes with being the star name for one of the world’s great clubs.”
What’s more, Mbappe will find acclimatising to Madrid a little easier since he speaks fluent Spanish. In a recent interview, France legend Thierry Henry teased him, asking why he spoke Spanish in the PSG dressing room, to which he replied: “If you want to be a world star then you shouldn’t limit yourself to just speaking French.”
Real president Florentino Perez understands how important it is for the club to sign Mbappe, who is set to be the world’s leading player for the best part of this decade. Perez knows that he will lose Gareth Bale this summer; Eden Hazard has not delivered on the promise he showed at Chelsea and the under-appreciated Karim Benzema is 34. Real needs a Galactico signing — a transformative Galactico signing at that.
Although the club is leading LaLiga, and is by all accounts better placed financially than its rivals, anything other than winning the biggest trophies season after season is seen as a failure in the Spanish capital. Mbappe promises to be someone who can help deliver just that.
What’s more, Real knows the French star is a fan of the club and he told PSG last summer that he wanted to leave Paris for Madrid, only for PSG to refuse. Real is now allegedly playing its version of hardball. According to The Times (UK), the Spanish club has warned the forward “that his childhood dream of playing for Real Madrid will remain forever unfulfilled should he backtrack on an informal agreement to join the Spanish club this summer”. Real denied the specific claim of pressuring Mbappe, according to a report in Marca, but there is no doubt that there is plenty of behind-the-scenes manoeuvring from all parties involved.
And so the return leg of the Champions League last-16 tie at the Bernabeu in 11 days’ time will be watched with considerable interest. If Mbappe plays a part in PSG eliminating Real, both clubs will want him even more. He has a life- and sport-changing decision to make — if he hasn’t made it already — but as one of only two teenagers to score in a World Cup final, the great Pele was the other, Mbappe is no stranger to grand-scale defining moments.
