A Player Bigger Than the Club: The Mbappé Transfer Saga
World Cup winner, Five-time Ligue 1 winner, three-time Ligue 1 top scorer, Nations League Winner, over 300 professional games played, over 200 goals scored, and all these achievements were achieved at the age of 23. That explains why Kylian Mbappé is one of the hottest properties in the soccer market. Mbappé has shown the talent that almost guarantees he will be on top of the soccer world in a few years. However, has he been overprized?
In 2017, after Mbappé’s breakout season in AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain paid a rumored 145 million Euros and 35 million Euros add-ons for him to join. That sum of money made Mbappé the most expensive teenager in soccer history and the second most expensive soccer player in history. Mbappé signed a contract to play for PSG until the end of the 2021 to 2022 season, which is now.
Many teams have been eyeing up Mbappé for the past one to two seasons, but the major two front runners to acquire Mbappé’s services are Spanish giants Real Madrid and his current club PSG. There have been rumors that Mbappé had a verbal agreement to join Real Madrid during this past season. However, no one would ever predict how things would develop in the last two weeks of the season.
Mbappé announced towards the end of the season that he will make his decision on his future before June. There was news that Real Madrid have already reached an agreement with Mbappé after a meeting took place in Madrid between Mbappé and Real Madrid’s general director Jose Angel Sanchez. PSG knew about it, but they decided to keep pursuing Mbappé. They threw out a Hail Mary contract, attempting to keep Mbappé at PSG. The terms of that contract are the spark to controversy.
PSG rumors to have offered a three-year contract to Mbappé with a $100 million signing bonus and a $50 million annual net salary. Other than that, PSG offered Mbappé a seat at their board meetings, which gave him the power to help decide the coach, sporting director, and transfers. With that much power and control on the table, it is unsurprising that Mbappé chose to stay with PSG in the end. His decision was announced before PSG’s last game of the season, in front of their home crowd. Mbappé’s decision was met with different voices and questions. An important question to ask is, should a player have that much power?
“No player is bigger than the club” is a famous saying in soccer, but in this case, it certainly feels like the player is bigger than the club. By giving Mbappé control over the club’s sporting project, PSG has effectively told every other player in the locker room that they are less important and there are no equal playing grounds. No matter how good or important a player is, an active player should never have control in club operations until they have retired from playing. It is impossible to stay impartial when you have a say in deciding who to coach the team, which of your teammates you can sell, or which of your friends you want to bring to the club. If these rumors are true, PSG has well and truly taken one step too far.
La Liga’s official statement on the possibility that Mbappé will stay at PSG.
Other than causing the dismay of many fans, Mbappé’s decision also caused the disapproval of the Spanish league La Liga. Mbappé’s decision is not only a loss to Real Madrid, but it is also a loss for La Liga as they lose viewership and most importantly, profit. After the departure of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the past years, the spotlight on La Liga has dimmed. Mbappé’s arrival was hope for the revival of La Liga, but this ending was definitely not what they wanted. After Mbappé’s announcement, La Liga issued a statement confirming they will take legal action over PSG’s action to keep Mbappé. The statement described the new contract PSG offered as “scandalous” and “attacks the economic integrity of the sport.” The statement also questioned the economical situation that PSG is in, and questioned UEFA’s financial fair play rules.
This saga will continue to develop and it is most likely far from over, but one thing is for sure, at the moment, Mbappé will continue to play for PSG and Real Madrid’s search for a world-class future talent will have to continue.
