BETTING: Kylian Mbappe said he was “very happy” to stay at Paris Saint-Germain after the club announced the World Cup winner was refusing Real Madrid to stay in France until 2025. However, PSG will start the new season without sporting director Leonardo, who was fired late on Saturday following Mbappe’s decision.
“I’m very happy to stay in France, in Paris, in my city,” Mbappe told supporters on the Parc des Princes pitch before scoring his new contract with a hat-trick in PSG’s 5-0 win over Metz in the league final. 1 game of the season.
Standing next to PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi, Mbappe said: “I hope I can continue doing what I love the most: winning football matches and winning trophies with all of you.” Mbappe’s hat-trick on Saturday took his tally of league goals for the season to 28 as he finished top scorer in Ligue 1 for a fourth consecutive campaign.
His decision ends months of speculation surrounding world football’s hottest property. Real Madrid had been chasing Mbappe for months and reportedly reached a deal which reportedly included a signing fee of 150 million euros ($158 million).
Mbappe had made no secret of his desire to one day play for Real, who face Liverpool in the Champions League final in Paris next weekend after winning a 35th La Liga championship.
But PSG, who won the French title for a record 10th time but infuriated their die-hard fans with their departure against Real in the Champions League round of 16, fought to retain their greatest asset.
“I discovered that there were a few minutes left before the announcement,” admitted PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is expected to leave the club this close season despite a one-year contract.
Sporting director Leonardo (52) was fired hours after Mbappe extended his contract, according to a source familiar with the matter, confirming media reports. The Brazilian, in office since 2019, paid the price after a disappointing season for PSG, which lost to Real Madrid in the knockout stages of the Champions League in March.
“Insult to football”
Spanish La Liga president Javier Tebas complained bitterly on Saturday that the massive financial resources of Qatari owners PSG had proved instrumental in persuading Mbappe to stay in France. “What PSG are doing by renewing Mbappe with large sums of money… after recording losses of 700 million euros in recent seasons and a wage bill of more than 600 million euros, is an INSULT to football,” Tebas tweeted.
La Liga announced in a press release that it was launching an official complaint against the actions of PSG “with UEFA, the French administrative and tax authorities and the competent decision-making bodies of the European Union”.
In his tweet, Tebas also called Khelaifi a ‘danger to European football’. Khelaifi is the president of the influential European Club Association and sits on the UEFA Executive Committee.
Mbappe will now line up next season alongside Neymar and likely Lionel Messi – assuming he stays at the club – to help PSG in their long quest to clinch the Champions League, the title that has them so far. present escaped.
Real Madrid fans were puzzled after the high-profile decision collapsed. “Now I don’t want him to come to Real Madrid anymore. It’s not worth it. Mbappe has played on both fronts. First he wanted to come to Madrid, and now for the money he he stays at PSG. I have no interest in Mbappé anymore, I’m sorry. He’s a great player. I used to like him sometimes, but not anymore,” Real Madrid fan David Pulido told AFP. 42 years old.
Mbappe joined PSG on a season-long loan from Monaco in August 2017 which turned into a permanent deal worth €180m. He helped the club win four Ligue 1 titles in five seasons, having also won a championship in the principality.
In this season’s Champions League exit against Real, Mbappe scored in both legs of the draw but couldn’t prevent PSG from losing 3-2 on aggregate. Last week he was named France’s player of the year for the third time in four seasons – apart from 2020 when no winner was crowned due to the pandemic.
He will be a key figure when France try to defend the World Cup in November and December. Real Madrid supporters’ association president Luis Caceres told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope: “Real Madrid have won 13 Champions Leagues without Mbappe. We won’t miss him.”
Comments are closed.