Mbappé and PSG divorce on bad terms

Kylian Mbappé’s bond with Paris Saint-Germain began with much fanfare but is about to end full of tension and without the long-awaited Champions League trophy that they so desire.

Mbappé was an outstanding teenager when he arrived at the French capital club from Monaco in 2017, with an outlay of 180 million euros (US$ 194 million). On Sunday, the 25-year-old star played his last home game for PSG and scored in a 3-1 loss to Tolosa.

He was booed from several sectors of the stands in the Parc des Princes when his name was announced, two days after confirming his departure. But the world champion with France in 2018 was cheered by other groups of PSG fans.

As the football world commented on their impending goodbye on Friday, the French league champions opted for silence.

Mbappé’s late-night announcement perhaps took PSG by surprise, as it was a video released on social media, and not through the club’s communications department.

Between Friday night and the start of Sunday’s match, PSG posted 20 posts on its X account, the former Twitter. The plans for next season were detailed, something about a betting service, a video of the women’s team qualifying for the final of the French Cup and the schedules of the duel in various parts of the world. But nothing about Mbappé.

The club did not pay any tribute to Mbappe on Sunday, although it was not the last game of the campaign.

The most radical PSG fans — the group called Paris Ultras Collective — were in charge of paying tribute to him by displaying a banner and a gigantic tifo with his image.

The rift between the owners of Qatar and the historic scorer – author of 256 goals – is deep.

This is how the relationship deteriorated:

New contract

PSG would be irritated with Mbappe after having given him the most lucrative contract in the club’s history by signing a new agreement in 2022.

But Mbappe He was frustrated that he felt the club reneged on their transfer promises — particularly bringing in a world-class center forward like Robert Lewandowski — so he could play in his ideal position, on the left wing.

When extending the contract, he was presented to the public with a t-shirt that had the year 2025 printed on it. According to press reports, Mbappé took it quite badly, given that the contract expired in 2024 with the option for an additional year.

Offer rejected

Mbappé surprised PSG last year when he informed the club that he would not exercise the extra year option. As his contract was entering its final year, PSG were forced to sell him to prevent him from leaving for free.

PSG insisted on a sale, but Mbappé stood determined to complete the last year. The club flexed his muscles by leaving him out of a tour to Japan in late July.

Al Hilal offered 332 million dollars. But the attacker did not flinch, without even meeting the emissaries of the Saudi Arabian club when they came to Paris.

Aftermath

Outside of the preseason Asian tour, Mbappé published a photo in which he appeared exercising with the other PSG discards in the club’s sports city.

The tug of war stretched when Mbappé was ruled out for the first matchday of Ligue 1. He watched from the stands a match that PSG tied 0-0.

With Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS and Neymar close to signing with Al Hilal, PSG coach Luis Enrique could not afford to belittle Mbappé. He played in the next league game and scored a penalty goal.

Time to leave

The relationship seemed to improve, but worsen when Mbappé notified President Nasser Al Khelaifi in mid-February that he was leaving, although he did not air it until Friday.

In the middle, the tension between Mbappé and Luis Enrique — knowing that their best player was leaving — became more strained.

Luis Enrique showed his authority by leaving Mbappé on the bench or taking him out during important games.

Mbappé is no longer untouchable. The Spanish coach insisted that he was looking to control the forward. They hugged after PSG eliminated Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals, with Mbappé scoring a double in the second leg.

But resting Mbappé made no difference in the semifinals against Borussia Dortmund. The star did not score and PSG lost both games 1-0.

Once again, PSG was left behind in Europe’s top club tournament.

The story will end on May 25, when Mbappé will play his last game for PSG — the French Cup final against Lyon.