Kylian Mbappé, the French soccer superstar, has announced his intention to leave Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and is expected to join Real Madrid. Mbappé stated in a video on X that he will play his final home game for PSG against Toulouse. Despite his excitement for a new challenge, he expressed difficulty in leaving his home country after seven years at PSG. Mbappé, who now captains the French national team, won the World Cup in 2018 and was the top scorer in the 2022 World Cup final.
Having joined PSG in 2017 from Monaco in a record-breaking deal worth 180 million euros, Mbappé is expected to be acquired by Real Madrid, a 14-time Champions League winner. In 2021, PSG rejected a bid of the same amount from Madrid for Mbappé. Although he extended his contract with PSG, he chose not to take up the option for an additional year. Earlier this year, he informed PSG of his decision to leave at the end of the season, and on Friday, he officially confirmed it to the soccer world, expressing gratitude to his teammates and coaches at PSG.
Throughout his time at PSG, Mbappé has scored 255 goals and helped deliver six league titles. However, the team has consistently failed to secure the Champions League title. Mbappé’s departure will mark the end of a superstar era at PSG, which has seen the likes of Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, and Lionel Messi pass through the club. Despite significant investment in transfer fees and wages, PSG has yet to win the Champions League, highlighting the hire-and-fire attitude of the club’s cash-rich Qatari owner QSI.
Mbappé’s career began with Monaco, where he was a standout young talent during their Champions League run in 2017. PSG outbid Madrid for his signature at that time, but now the tables have turned, and the young star will leave PSG as a free transfer. It is expected that Madrid will secure his services, potentially leading them to a record-extending 15th Champions League title by the time Mbappé joins the club. Overall, Mbappé’s departure from PSG marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter in his career with Real Madrid.
