The Curious Case of Kylian Mbappé
Imagine being a world beater footballer at a young age with all the skills in the world. One would think that such a footballer would have the world on his feet with clubs raring to bid the highest amount to avail the great skills of the player and the original club going all out to keep the player from leaving. The French superstar and apparent heir to Zinedine Zidane, Kylian Mbappe, had the world on his feet in late 2022 and across 2023 as he reached his 2nd FIFA world cup final at the age of 24 and even won the golden boot for being the highest goal scorer in the FIFA world Cup 2022. He was touted for a mega move to Real Madrid or become the legend for Paris Saint Germain (PSG). The summer break had some different plans for this French superstar.
The months of June and July this year have seen multiple news reports indicating that Mbappe is critical of PSG and wants to leave while PSG is in no mood to release him for free. They have gone to the extent of excluding their star player from pre-season tours and are waiting for any club to submit their bid to buy Mbappe. Interestingly, there have been multiple offers for Mbappe, but there is no clear club which has expressed the need for his services like how a club would want Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. While his exception performance is predictable, the situation of Kylian Mbappe makes one curious on his case.
1. The Owner’s and Player’s ego: PSG is owned by Emir of Qatar while Mbappe is a rising star who wants to strike when the iron is hot. Both have different objectives for success. While the Emir wants to generate a lot of revenue and gain money by selling Mbappe. The French superstar wants to win trophies and replicate his international success at club level. This clash of ego has led to a so-called fallout between the player and the management. It is a very curious case as Lionel Messi recently left PSG to play in USA while Neymar is also being linked with potential transfers.
2. Quest for Champions League title: Every player wants to win the UEFA champions League and plans his moves to different clubs based on the strength of the team, his position and prospects of Champions League glory. While PSG dominates French Ligue, its position against other European clubs is weak thus limiting Mbappe to trophies at French Level. For converting stardom to legendary status, he needs a UEFA Champions League and wants to turn his back on PSG as soon as possible.
3. The Rise and Rise of Haaland: While Mbappe was hot property, Erling Haaland of Manchester City raised eyebrows with his stupendous performance which led to Manchester City winning a treble. This coincided with Mbappe having a worthy competitor who could give him a run for his money. This has led to an easy transfer for Mbappe getting complicated as Haaland is a brilliant option along with the fact that he is just in his debut season in English Premier League.
4. Smart and early purchases by star clubs: Potential clubs where Mbappe can land like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United have made early purchases with the aim of finding their best playing 11 amidst the uncertainty of Mbappe’s departure from PSG. His initial commitment till 2025 influenced clubs to start preparing for the upcoming season, but the sudden change in Mbappe’s situation has made it difficult for a rich club like Real Madrid to shell out money to facilitate Mbappe’s release.
The upcoming few weeks will define whether Mbappe has a legendary 2023 or a dampener. The curious case of this star player can never be explained but one thing that is certain is the impending greatness of Mbappe. He will define a new legacy wherever he ends up playing owing to his sheer talent and hard work. Till then, we can just hope that this transfer chaos comes to an end very soon.
