Mbappe stays in Paris – how did it happen?

That day has finally come. Kylian Mbappe broke his word given to Real Madrid and stayed at Paris Saint Germain for another three years. A huge amount of money and a semi-executive role in the club were enough for him to change his mind and close the possibility to play for his boyhood club forever. Nobody crosses Real Madrid like that and lives to play for them. Time will show if the move (or lack of it) was the right one. You can look, but you won’t find a footballer this big who has said ’no’ to the club he supports three times: in 2012, 2017 and 2022. Let’s not forget that Real Madrid wanted Mbappe back in 2012 before he signed for Monaco, and then in 2017, when he chose PSG.

And all this becomes even more surreal when you read the anecdote by former PSG board member Luis Ferrer who spoke about signing PSG forward Kylian Mbappe from Monaco in 2017 in an interview with AS. Ferrer knew the task of signing Mbappe was tough, but he only go the full grasp of the situation when he got into player’s bathroom.

“There was a moment when we visited him at his home in the neighborhood of former PSG sporting director Bondy Antero who also came with me. And suddenly I go to the bathroom, and even in the bathroom itself there were photos of Madrid... And I called Antero, “Go into the bathroom and see what’s there.” That was our situation” recalled Ferrer.

Official: Mbappe stays at Paris for a truckload of cash!

So, what happened? Why Mbappe turn down his boyhood club? Well, the money part was not maybe the biggest factor, because as his mother pointed out a few days ago, the offers from both clubs were almost identical. Both clubs were willing to pay 158 million as a signing-on fee, and both agreed that he would have the majority of his image rights and a salary of 42 million, bbc.com reported. So, something else prevailed, not only money and image rights.

The decision was made "in the last few hours", according to L'Equipe. The negotiations between representatives of both parties lasted until Saturday afternoon, when a personal intervention by the president of the club, Nasser al Khelaifi, ended up unblocking the situation. And it sounds logical since Khelaifi was madly driven by the fact that his home country is this year’s World Cup host, and he didn’t want to go over there without having Mbappe in his team, so he agreed on everything. L'Equipe points out that PSG managers managed to convince their great star with two arguments, the first of which would be to fix the "dysfunctionalities" of the club. The second would be the responsibility of Mbappe, who became the symbol of French football, and PSG’s Champions League title is a must for the biggest country of the European Union. 

Real Madrid is arguably the biggest club in the world. And no matter how much they wanted Mbappe in the club (and they REALLY wanted him), they would never allow any player to intervene in the club’s affairs. The most they could do (and have done) is to give him more than 50% of image rights, and that was it. But, Khelaifi’s mad desire to keep him ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, combined with the unlimited financial sources (who cares about any UEFA financial rules) sealed the deal. Mbappe has become a millionaire in his 23rd year of life, and he will have his say in club matters. And he already made two decisions: get rid of the sports director and the coach.

He said it, and Khelaifi has done it. The president has informed sporting director Leonardo that he has been sacked. Mbappe always liked Luis Campos more, as he is the man who discovered him in Monaco, and he is on excellent terms with Mbappe family. Maurizio Pochettino is also considered ’ex’ even though not formally, but his exit is imminent.

And what about Real? Kylian informed president Florentino Perez that his two-year personal pursuit was unsuccessful and that he had changed his mind. Mbappe also sent a Whatsapp message to the Real president:

„Mr Florentino Perez, I am informing you that I have decided to stay at PSG. I want to thank you for the opportunity you have given me to play for Real Madrid, the club I have been a fan of since I was a child. I hope you will be understanding with my decision. Good luck in the Champions League final“.

Don't cry for me, Argentine

Perez remained dignified, at least officially. Journalist Josep Pedrerol unveiled Perez's response, in which he maintains a cordial and respectful tone towards the player. Although he did not reveal the literal nature of the message, he did give a glimpse of what the president of the Madrid club said: "I regret what has happened in the last few days. They have broken the illusion that you had since you were a child. I wish you the best“.

Unofficially, he was furious, and some think he should even resign because he agreed with Mbappe a long time ago but didn’t force him to sign anything in advance. Bitter days are ahead of Real Madrid, and the win in the Champions League will be a perfect opportunity to get out of this miserable state they have found themselves in.