The Kylian Mbappe transfer saga has to be one of the most convoluted and complicated tales in the history of sport. The 25-year-old has been the topic of discussion for the past couple of transfer windows as Real Madrid look to price the World Cup-winning French superstar away from his Parisian hometown.
As Mbappe keeps pulling the ‘bait-and-switch’ off the field, as much as he does on the field to leave pursuers in his trail, the big question remains, ‘Can Mbappe reach football zenith if he sticks to PSG instead of finding pastures anew’?
Mbappe, who refused to pen a contract extension with the French capital city club last year, could leave on a free this summer when his contract with the club runs out as the Parisian side stand to lose out on the most highly billed player without any monetary aides coming their way.
Mbappe caught the fancies of football followers worldwide during his title-winning spell at Monaco, before making the switch to the capital city club for a mind-boggling sum of money. The kid from the Parisian suburbs cemented his name as the possible future of the sport with his exploits at the World Cup in Russia, which Le Blues ended up winning.
Mbappe was magnificent throughout the tournament and has gone from strength to strength ever since, also nearly defending the FIFA title four years later at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, only to falter at the final hurdle with the Lionel Messi-led Argentina in a clash for the ages.
Mbappe netted thrice in the final of the latest edition of the World Cup only for it to go in vain as Messi fulfilled his destiny of getting his hands on the World Cup.
While Messi;s victory on the grandest of stages helped the boy from Rosario accomplish his childhood dream, a plethora of individual awards including the record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or and the FIFA Best award followed.
One wouldn’t be at fault to think all that could have gone Mbappe’s way had he managed to defend the World Cup title.
But, everything said and done, to the victor go the spoils, and Messi’s Argentina deserve all the laurels that come their way for navigating adversities including a first-round loss to the unfancied Saudi Arabia.
The quadrennial showpiece aside, Mbappe has little to no claim to the prestigious Ballon d’Or as he has failed to lead his side to continental glory at the UEFA Champions League, that still remains elusive to the Parisian club.
The Qatari-owned side looked to alter that unenviable record by roping in Messi after his unceremonious exit from his beloved Barcelona as the French club created a fearsome forward lineup consisting of Messi, Mbappe and Brazilian dazzler Neymar.
However, multiple years after the advent the club still remains sans a UEFA showpiece trophy and are now without the services of Messi and Neymar, who decided to seek domicile elsewhere following a disastrous couple of years in the French capital, that turned sour with fans boo-ing arguably two of the greatest players of the generation.
PSG have ramped up their squad with new additions since the exit of the South American stars, but seem to remain worse off following the departure of the former Barcelona duo.
And with the exit of Messi and Neymar, not just PSG, but the whole of Ligue 1 seems to be lacking in stardust.
As far-fetched as Al Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo’s comments on the Saudi Pro League being more competitive than the Ligue 1 at the recently concluded Dubai Globe Soccer Awards sound, the fact that Mbappe might have to look at countries with more prestigious domestic circuits to reach the pinnacle of world football bears some semblance of truth.
As Real Madrid come calling time and again, an unlikely name in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool were rumoured to spring into the bidding war for the French star. However, taking into consideration the FSG-owned English side’s track record of transfers, the arrival of Mbappe to Merseyside looks highly unlikely barring the outside chance that Egyptian star Mohamed Salah plans to depart from the club- underline highly unlikely.
Madrid have strengthened their squad with some big-name signings over the past couple of years, but Los Blancos are still looking to fill the vacancy left behind by the departure of former striker Karim Benzema and could lure the World Cup winner into their glorious and historically rich ‘Galactico’ fold and the Frenchman would fit like a hand-in-glove if the move materialises.
Mbappe has remained out of Florentino Perez’s reach despite numerous attempts to bring him to the Spanish capital. And it wouldn’t be unfair to say that the previous failed attempts to bring in the 25-year-old could have bruised the massive ego of Papa Perez.
However, so in football as in life, the unexpected might come to pass and Madrid could still manage to pull off one of the biggest transfers in the history of the sport.
Recent reports suggest that PSG are ready to offer their starman a never-seen-before contract that would see him pocket nearly 1.8 million quid a week. The oil-rich owners of the Parisian side seem like they would stop at nothing to retain the services of their crown jewel.
But, the question still remains, ‘Would you leave your hometown to reach the football pinnacle?’
As history has suggested, success doesn’t always follow the rich on the field and Mbappe, the boy from the Parisian suburbs, could be left pondering about the road not taken if he opts to stay at his hometown instead of exploring options at sides that have a prayer to challenge for the coveted UEFA Champions League year after year.
In the era of gentrification and ever-evolving technology, the question might sound rather redundant with most people popping out of their seats without hesitation with a ‘Yes’ for an answer.
The sound of the word ‘loyalty’ might not elicit the same feeling it once did in football, however, the need to choose between money and success seems to be the dilemma Mbappe is faced with now.
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