Paris Saint-Germain are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League because Kylian Mbappé did Mbappé things. Soon he will be scoring his goals somewhere else. His departure will be a turning point for PSG.
Kylian Mbappé was in the penalty area, but the angle was unfavorable. There wasn’t much separating him from the baseline. The path to the goal was blocked, with five Real Sociedad San Sebastian players between him and the goal. Maybe he could have gone back. Achraf Hakimi was 20 meters from the goal. He tentatively raised his arm. But Mbappé handled it in his own way.
He placed the ball on his right foot: inside, outside, inside. One catch and another. Suddenly there was a gap – and Mbappé shot. It hit the bottom right corner. It was the opening goal for Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. Mbappé was successful again later. PSG won 2-1 and is in the quarter-finals.
Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Messi – all gone. Only Mbappé is still there
Paris Saint-Germain has scored thirteen goals this Champions League season, Mbappé scored six and 25. He scored a total of three times in the two games against San Sebastian. Without him, PSG would not have progressed so easily. Maybe they wouldn’t have made any progress at all.
The really big names once played for Paris Saint-Germain. David Beckham was there once, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar and Lionel Messi. The club has a lot of money and big goals, but they didn’t win the Champions League even with Neymar, Ibrahimovic and Messi. They all no longer play for PSG. Only Mbappé remained.
He is the last remaining star, the great hope. The team depends on its best player, his tricks and goals. Without him, everything at PSG is nothing.
But Mbappé’s contract expires in the summer. He will leave Paris after seven years. He had already informed the club bosses about his departure, French media reported after the first leg against San Sebastian.
Mbappé wanted to leave, but for a free transfer – and he gets his way
That’s not surprising. Mbappé wanted to leave three years ago, two years ago and also last summer there was unrest. It was already reported back then that Mbappé wanted to let his contract expire and leave the club for a free transfer. Until then, he wants to stay at PSG and not move prematurely – not even to Saudi Arabia. Club boss Nasser Al-Khelaifi said: “We can’t give away the best player in the world for free, that’s impossible.”
On the first matchday, Mbappé was missing from the PSG squad, which only played 0-0 without him against outsiders Lorient. Then he returned. He scored seven goals in his first four league games. Overall, he has 34 goals in 34 competitive appearances this season.
They will soon have to do without Mbappé in Paris. He gets his way. He will soon be scoring goals somewhere else, probably in the Real Madrid jersey. The change has not yet been confirmed.
Mbappé says: “I have problems, but the coach isn’t one”
Coach Luis Enrique recently said that his team now has to get used to playing without Mbappé. In the league, he only allowed Mbappé to play 138 minutes in the last three games. Most recently – in the goalless draw against Monaco – it was over for him after one half.
In the second half, Mbappé was not on the bench, he was sitting in the stands next to his agent Fayza Lamari, who is also his mother. Mbappé later also spoke about his relationship with his coach. “There is no problem with him, even though people might think there is a problem,” he said: “I have problems, but the coach doesn’t have any problems.”
In the league, Paris will face Stade Reims at the weekend. Mbappé may then sit on the bench again. They are likely to become champions there even without his goals. But what really counts in Paris is the Champions League. It will depend on Mbappé, his tricks and his goals.
This is a challenge for coach Luis Enrique. He has to win titles and develop a plan for how PSG can function without Mbappé. There are easier tasks. A little optimism doesn’t hurt. His team, says Luis Enrique, will be in the coming season “even stronger“. It’s exciting to see.