Kylian Mbappe, one of the hottest football talents in the world, has finally confirmed his Paris Saint-Germain exit. In a video released on Friday, the 2018 FIFA World Cup-winner, said "It's my last year at Paris St-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks." (More Football News)
The French superstar is rumoured to go to Real Madrid once the transfer window opens.
The 25-year-old failed to score in his bid to a farewell Champions League trophy in his last year at the club as PSG lost 0-2 across two legs to Borussia Dortmund in the semifinal.
Mbappe rose through AS Bondy youth ranks and then a move to AS Monaco materialised in 2013. Still a precocious talent, the forward from Seine-Saint-Denis -- one of the suburbs of Paris -- headed to PSG in 2017, and after one season on loan, he signed a highly contentious deal with the Parisians, who were building a team of superstars.
Fast forward to 2024, PSG lost another opportunity to fulfil their dream of conquering the continent, upended by the semi-final defeat to Dortmund; and Mbappe found it a perfect time to reveal the long-rumoured exit.
"I’ve always said that I would speak with you when the time comes," the 25-year-old opened his address.
Of course, his desire to join Real Madrid, arguably the greatest establishment in club football, is no secret. There have been enough hints for a move to Santiago Bernabeu, but the Frenchman still played it safe -- saying only what is mattered -- the exit, without a mention of the destination.
A win against Dortmund would have set up a dream Champions League final date with his biggest suiters, Carlo Ancelotti's Los Blancos. But as in the previous seasons, PSG, while boasting the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar in their ranks, were still outsiders when it came to continental competitions.
Real Madrid, on the contrary, will play in yet another Champions League final. And come June, the 36-time Spanish La Liga champions will start favourites against Dortmund at Wembley, London.
A moot point to ponder is that the next transfer window will only open in the second week of June and the Champions League final is on the first of Juno's month. Poignant, indeed.
"It's a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honour to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world, which allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure, to grow as a player by being alongside some of the best in history, to meet a lot of people and to grow as a man with all the glory and the mistakes I've made," he added.
Mbappe has made 305 appearances for PSG, scoring 255 goals, 42 of which came in European competition. He helped the club win Ligue 1 six times, including this season, three Coupe de France titles and two Coupe de la Ligue trophies.
"I want to thank the teammates, all of the teammates that I had. All the coaches, Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Christophe Galtier and Luis Enrique," Mbappe continued. "It's hard, it's hard and I never thought it would be this difficult, to announce that to leave my country, France, the Ligue 1, a championship I have always known, but I think I needed this, a new challenge after seven years."
