THE FRENCH CONNECTION

Sebastian Zucchet

For over a year now, all football fans have wondered where superstar Kylian Mbappe-Lottin would end up after his contract at PSG expired this summer. All signs pointed to Mbappe following his boyhood dreams and join Real Madrid on a free transfer. It was basically complete, and just needed to be confirmed by both parties until PSG came swooping in with an earth shattering contract.

On May 21st, the contract was officially signed, with the team announcing it at their final game of the season against Metz. The deal had reportedly surpassed Real Madrid’s offer. Mbappe signed a three-year contract that runs until June 1st, 2025, and will earn an annual salary of around $25 million. The contract included a $137 million dollar signing bonus and he will be receiving around $5 million per month.

This is all excluding third-party resources like endorsements. It is reported that Mbappe wanted a place on PSG’s board of directors, and that is a part of the contract. He will get a say in which coaches he think will be the best fits for the club and he will also be a part of the board meetings going forward. According to people close to him, it was the hardest decision of his life as he was very tempted to go to Madrid. Mbappe is happy with his decision though as he is able to stay in his hometown and try and guide PSG to their first Champions League title alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr.

Out of respect, the first person Mbappe contacted was Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who then addressed the Real Madrid locker room that Mbappe would not be joining. Perez was very disappointed but respects his decision to stay.

The La Liga president was not happy with this decision, and put out a statement saying things like PSG president Nasser Al-Khelafi was “more dangerous than the super league” and that they would be reporting PSG to UEFA, and French authorities.

It is rumored that Mbappe will try and bring in Zinedine Zidane as head coach which means Mauricio Pochettino would be sacked. Zidane was one of the best coaches of the last decade, winning three Champions Leagues with an unstoppable Real Madrid side.

A record breaking contract see’s the end of the Kylian Mbappe transfer saga as he stays at PSG. Can he help them reach new heights by winning the Champions League and become the best player in the world? We have three years to find out.