Kylian Mbappe, after signing a new three-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday and turning down the chance to move back to Real Madrid, celebrated a hat-trick with the fans at the Parc de Prince.
Before PSG beat Metz 5-0 in their last home game, the French World Cup-winning star stood on a platform near the center circle to address the fans.
I am very happy to continue this adventure, to stay in France, in Paris, my city. I’ve always said Paris is my home, Mbappe said. I hope I will continue to do what I love most – to keep playing soccer and winning trophies.
Mbappe then picked up a PSG shirt with 2025 written on it, standing next to president Nasser Al-Khelafi, who had just announced a new deal.
I have very good news for you. Kylian Mbappe will stay until 2025, Al-Khelaifi said, barely audible as fans chanted Mbappe’s name over and over again. Kylian’s dedication to PSG represents an amazing milestone in our club’s history.
The contract of one of soccer’s most coveted players with PSG expired in June, and Mbappe could have been acquired for free.
But instead of joining 13-time European champion Madrid, who had been after him for so long, Mbappe decided to stay to try to win PSG’s first Champions League title.
Madrid managed to beat PSG in the Champions League this season, but not in the transfer market.
The Spanish giant’s inability to sign Mbappe was a serious blow to its president Florentino Perez, who has been trying for a year to complete the transfer.
PSG rejected Madrid’s official offer of 180 million euros ($190 million) – for the same amount for which it signed Mbappe from Monaco in 2017 – and even another reported amount of 200 million euros ($211 million) was not enough to sell its star, despite the fact that he has only one year left on his contract. Mbappe said he wanted to leave at the end of last season, but only on terms favorable to PSG.
The club’s wealth, owned by a Qatari sovereign foundation linked to the emir, allows PSG to resist offers that might be insurmountable for other clubs without state funding.
The transfer rejection reflects the changing power dynamics in European soccer. Peres was one of the architects of the European Super League, which separated from the UEFA Champions League, which broke up within 48 hours in April 2.021
PSG refused to join the 12 founding members of the Super League, giving its president, Al-Khelaifi, one of the most influential roles in the game as head of the European Association of Clubs.
Perez is still pursuing his dream of the Super League in conflict with UEFA.
Meanwhile, Spanish league president Javier Tebas was furious.
It’s an insult to soccer that PSG is going to renew Mbappe with huge money (who knows where and how they will pay it) after losses of 700 million euros in recent seasons and more than 600 million euros in wages, he wrote on Twitter. Al-Khelafi is just as dangerous as the Super League.
Mbappe, who starred for France at the 2018 World Cup, would be a landmark signing for Perez – especially if he poached Mbappe from a team that has only become a contender in the last decade thanks to Qatari funding.
But the energy expended on the transfer and the optimism of Madrid, which will face Liverpool in the Champions League final in Paris next Saturday, in pursuit of a record 14th European Cup victory, was in vain.
When Mbappe won the league’s best player award for the third time last Sunday, he said his decision was almost made, but he did not say which way.
Tensions between the clubs became apparent when PSG was knocked out of the Champions League round of 16 by Madrid in March – despite leading 2-0 thanks to Mbappe’s two goals – and Al-Khelaifi was left under investigation by UEFA for allegedly clashing with match officials after the loss.
Madrid is in the way again, as it tried to sign Mbappe after he left Monaco in 2017 – and even earlier.
At 14, he visited Madrid, where he was welcomed by the great Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, but instead he decided to start his star career in Monaco.
Mbappe scored his first professional goal at the age of 17 years and 62 days, breaking the Monaco club record held by Thierry Henry.
Henri holds the French record for most goals scored with 51. Mbappe already has 26 and could well overtake him as a PSG player.
He is the second most scored PSG player (171) and may surpass Edinson Cavani’s record next season (200).
He brought his league record to 28 in a home game at the end of the season where he played alongside teammates Lionel Messi and Neymar.
The brilliant attacking trio, who did not play together this season, were expected to play together again next season.
However, Mbappe misses the chance to play alongside French teammate Karim Benzema for Madrid, which would be a devastating partnership and the envy of all Europe. They have been prolific together for Les Bleus over the past year and both scored against France in the Nations League final.
Another of the most coveted young strikers in the world is Erling Haaland, who is leaving Borussia Dortmund for English Manchester City.
This story was published according to a news agency without changes to the text.
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