Had it not been for the Paris Saint-Germain ultras, Kylian Mbappe wouldn’t have received any meaningful farewell as he played his final home game for the club. The 25-year-old confirmed the worst-kept secret in European soccer last week, revealing his decision to depart PSG and the club’s supporters had a giant tifo ready to send him on his way.
Mbappe’s final appearance at the Parc des Princes for PSG was reflective of his time at the club. He found the back of the net, but suffered a disappointing result – a 3-1 defeat to Toulouse. The French forward will hope to fare better at his new club Real Madrid when he finally puts pen to paper on a deal to join Los Blancos.
PSG’s decision not to pay an official tribute to Mbappe in his final home game in blue and red was notable because he will leave the club as its all-time top scorer. He is arguably the best soccer player on the planet right now, but PSG are still reportedly unhappy at how Mbappe’s impending departure has been handled.
Ultimately, though, PSG will look back at Mbappe’s time at the club as a gigantic missed opportunity. They had one of the best players of modern times for seven years, but failed to build around him to achieve success in the Champions League. Mbappe might be PSG’s all-time top scorer, but the Parisians could have gotten so much more from him.
Ironically, PSG adopted a more system-based approach in Mbappe’s final season at the club, but the transition isn’t complete yet. Under Luis Enrique, PSG have become a more coherent unit, but Mbappe has clearly run out of patience. He’s been waiting too long for the club to develop a team that can help him achieve his goals.
At Real Madrid, Mbappe will join a club that consistently challenges for the top honours in Spanish and European soccer. Carlo Ancelotti’s side won the Spanish title at a canter this season and will be favourites in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, having seen off Manchester City and Bayern Munich in the competition.
Tactically, Ancelotti will have his work cut out to fit Mbappe into a team that has no obvious role for the Frenchman. Real Madrid play split forwards with Jude Bellingham in behind. While this system would be perfect for Mbappe, who likes to get in behind and cut inside off the left, Los Blancos already have Vinicius Junior to perform this role.
It remains to be seen how Real Madrid will squeeze Mbappe and Vinicius into the same lineup, but Ancelotti has already proven himself as an astute tactician by absorbing the loss of Karim Benzema last summer and reshuffling his pack to integrate Bellingham. He might do something similar to get the best out of Mbappe.
Towards the end of his time at PSG, Mbappe appeared disinterested. He clashed with Enrique more than once this season and failed to have much of an impact on the Champions League semi-final against Dortmund. The 25-year-old is clearly ready for the next chapter in his club career.
And PSG are seemingly ready to start afresh too. The club is attempting to become younger – and more French. This is reflected in some of the transfers made over the last year or so and they are expected to continue with this strategy now that Mbappe is gone. There isn’t an expectation that Mbappe will be replaced by another superstar forward.
Mbappe might be remembered as PSG’s best-ever player, but he also came to reflect the club’s worst qualities. Their union was always a political tussle that was frequently fought through back channels and media leaks. The sense that neither truly wanted to be associated with the other grew over time.
At 25, the next few years of Mbappe’s career will define his legacy – and he has made the decision that a transfer to Real Madrid will give him a better chance of greatness. However, he should have had that chance at the Parc des Princes. The last seven years was one big missed opportunity for PSG, one they will surely rue for years to come.
