Has Kylian Mbappe's tenure at Paris Saint-Germain been fruitful with seven years and 11 titles despite his lack of Champions League victory? [paraphrased]
Kolo Mbappe's weighty responsibility of assisting PSG in capturing their first Champions League title was shared with famous clubmates like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi, and Neymar through his seven seasons in Paris. After PSG paid $214 million for his services from Monaco, Mbappe's tenure with the team has been marked by triumphs on both team and individual fronts. However, the clubs' greatest aim of the Qatari proprietors since their 2011 takeover, the Champions League championship, has eluded him. PSG even came closest to claiming this title in 2020, only to lose to Bayern Munich.
"I experienced a great deal of emotions during my time at the Biggest French Club and one of the best in the world," Mbappe stated in his farewell video on social media. "I have had the incredible opportunity to be a part of a club with immense pressure stacked on top."
Just as Mbappe is set to add to his collection of awards by facing Lyon in the French Cup final on Saturday, many wonder if his tenure in Paris can count as a resounding triumph without achieving the objective that eluded even the best players that came before him.
With PSG amassing numerous domestic titles, football expert Raphaël Jucobin points out that "if you look at his achievements, statistically speaking he's probably the best player in PSG's history." He is, after all, their all-time leading scorer, winning the league's Player of the Year title five times in a row.
However, he stresses, "The narrative around Mbappe is nuanced," as the ultimate ambition of winning the Champions League remains unfulfilled.
Jucobin highlights, "It's interesting that a player who is statistically their best ever is not broadly embraced by the fanbase." But he still believes, "He's had a lot of success and a huge impact on the club. It's just that the manner in which he is moving on to Real Madrid is upsetting many fans who feel his antics have been consolidating a move to his dream club over the years."
While not being adored by the fans, Mbappe is still held in high esteem for leading the club to league victories and impressive individual awards. However, "the issue is the reluctance with which Mbappe has left the club," Jucobin adds.
For many Parisians, the Mbappe-PSG story is a tadters to success since the player's ultimate goal was seemingly achieved by Real Madrid. His decision to stay at PSG but flirt with Real Madrid and then ultimately make a U-turn stirred mixed feelings among fans. Mbappe notably changed his mind from leaving for the Binomial Football League's Al-Hilal and has amassed a salary of around €600 million ($650M) during his stint at the club.
In the end, although the PSG supporters felt the club didn't send him off properly, they expressed their admiration for his contributions by presenting a gigantic tifo at his last game with the Paris Eleven.
Jucobin concludes, "PSG fans are mainly grateful for Mbappe’s performances during his time at the club. But they are frustrated with his unwillingness to commit to the club but haven't forgotten that he's been the face of PSG and has delivered stunning success on the pitch."
Mbappe's lip service to him being their best-ever player without stirring enough emotional association with them might leave a bitter taste in his fans' mouths. But concerning his football genius, he's been a valuable asset to his club. His personal connections with the team and hometown surely counted in his honor. However, the PSG fans didn't necessarily align with Kolo. His lack of compelling emotional connection was reflected in PSG's final match of the Ligue 1 season when they lost to Toulouse, his last home game.
The tired, worn-out tifo being displayed unable to conceal their longing for a more heartfelt farewell to a player whose performance had brought them much pride despite the bittersweet end is a representation of conflicting feelings of fans. Alas, the community had to maneuver the fanfare for an extravagant tribute among their immense desire for Mbappe's homecoming. They still adore him, but his "tangled" sentiments concerning his uncertain future instigated the fissure in their affection. After all, it's not Mbappe's statistics that they cherish most, but the deeper sense of feeling he inevitably should have fostered among the fans during this long but momentous stint. Despite the fact, the PSG fans realize he might be the best player, but his celebrity status not matching their sentiments over his exit doesn't lend the poignant feeling of love his exit should have invoked. "There was no real emotional connection between him and the fans," Jucobin laments.
Parisians couldn't help but feel that Mbappe's "either-or" assurances about his possible return to the club weren't much of an emotional bond. But despite his authority on the scoreboard, his insincere hankering for staying in the club while leaving for Real Madrid revealed the "unfulfilled potentials" in their startling split.
Regardless, the situation's complexity left some of these fans welcoming him with open arms, but others choosing to let go of him with pains in their hearts, signifying the heart-warming contrast of triumphs and tribulations PSG have witnessed in their glorious journey with Mbappe.
"It's tough," said Mbappe. "Quite difficult, and I never imagined it would be so hard to reveal that [I'm leaving], to depart from France, Ligue 1, a league that I was always familiar with. However, I feel like I needed this.
"I'd like to express my heartfelt gratitude to certain individuals above all: the supporters. I recognize that I'm not the most outwardly expressive player.
"I didn't always live up to the love you all showed me for seven years, but I never wanted to mislead, I simply wanted to contribute effectively. I have no regrets about any moment."
For Meunier, Mbappe's former teammate, there's no doubt about his standing as a club legend. "He's number one," Meunier said to L'Equipe earlier this month. "And by a long way."
Ouest France described Mbappe's farewell as "the end of a soap opera where the conclusion was already known."
"The forward left his mark behind, without being able to lead his team to the Holy Grail, a win in the Champions League," it continued. "Although he reached the final in 2020, 'Kyks' will not have achieved the coveted 'big ears cup,' which has haunted the Qatari leaders since their takeover of the club in 2011.
"But the 25-year-old departs with records that will be quite challenging to surpass, such as being the all-time top scorer for PSG and earning six French championship titles. The void left by Mbappe will be immense, despite not achieving glory in the most prominent of European competitions."
Real Madrid, with their 14 European Cups to PSG's zero, might have greater pressure to triumph in the Champions League.
Even with Neymar and Messi in their midst, Mbappe was consistently the indisputable star player at PSG. At Real Madrid, which already has young world-class talent in Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, he may not be the main man.
"It will be intriguing to see how he copes in that type of environment," Jacobin remarked. "Since he'll not only have on-pitch competition, but also off-pitch rivalry in terms of being the face of the club. Hence, we will most likely see a different side of Mbappe in that way.
"He's aware of what he's getting into. He understands what he needs to accomplish. He's a player who is adaptable in that sense, and he knows when to step back. This has occasionally been the case in the French national team.
"He relishes being in the spotlight, enjoys taking on leadership responsibilities, but I believe he's fully aware that at first, he'll have to pave his path at Real Madrid. It won't simply be handed to him."
Whether fans agree on his status as a PSG great or not, Mbappe has undoubtedly left a permanent mark on the club - even if together they fell short of the ultimate trophy.
Read also:
- Prodigies of sport: Littler's predecessors
- Nagelsmann's announcement: A restless Christmas for national team players
- What sports fans prefer to watch on television
- The calm before the upheaval: Nagelsmann's European Championship plans
Despite Mbappe's impressive statistics and multiple domestic titles, the lack of a Champions League victory remains a significant missing piece in his Paris Saint-Germain tenure.Mbappe's football genius has been a valuable asset to Paris Saint-Germain, but his inability to secure the Champions League title has left a bittersweet taste for fans.
Source: edition.cnn.com
