Kylian Mbappe’s inflated ego is being damaged en route to leaving Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid. And because of that… Luis Enrique, thank you.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!As is largely the case, all conversation about PSG this season has revolved around Kylian Mbappe and his future at the club.
This was heightened during the recent January transfer window when it became clear that Mbappe would not be extending his current PSG contract beyond the end of this season.
Barring Jurgen Klopp’s bombshell announcement, nothing else of note happened in January so much of the transfer speculation centred around Mbappe and his post-PSG move.
Would he go to Liverpool to replace Mohamed Salah? Or to Manchester United to be Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first mega-money signing? In a word, no.
After snubbing the fortunes offered to him by the Saudi Pro League, Real Madrid were always going to be his next destination and that’s been the case ever since he joined PSG in 2017.
Kylian Mbappe has been linked with moves to Liverpool and Real Madrid.
The only somewhat surprising thing about Mbappe’s proposed move to the La Liga giants is that this transfer hasn’t happened sooner than at the end of his seventh season with PSG.
Long-heralded as the heir to Lionel Messi, it has been presumed throughout Mbappe’s time at PSG that he needs a move to Real Madrid (or FC Barcelona) to give himself the platform to further assert himself as a world great and future winner of multiple Ballon d’Ors.
There’s no doubting Mbappe’s credentials as an all-time great in the making, but the public perception of him has been negatively impacted by his prolonged (and financially fruitful) stint at PSG.
Having previously been desperate to elbow rivals out of the way to become the best team in the world, PSG had been willing to do anything necessary to keep Mbappe in the building and this reportedly led to him being given a say in club policy decisions as part of his improved deal in 2022.
PSG were sanctioning a deal which tore down the barriers between the board and the players to agree to an unprecedented contract – which would undermine the current manager and the rest of the squad – to retain Mbappe for what has proven to be just two more years. It has been a farcical sh*tshow.
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A player of Mbappe’s ability is bound to have a sizable ego, but PSG have inflated it beyond belief and have allowed themselves to have their pants pulled down by one of their own assets.
As good as the France international is, this model – which was presumably green-lit amid their obsession with ending their Champions League drought – was all about the short term and was doomed to end in tears from the get-go.
Everyone outside of PSG knew it would only be a matter of time before he signed for Real Madrid. As big as the Ligue Un champions are and despite how much money they can offer to players, they are not (and never will be) as alluring a transfer destination as the Spanish outfit.
Thankfully though, Mbappe’s delayed snub of PSG has enabled the club to see the light and manager Enrique appears to be giving the PSG icon a kicking on his way out.
In PSG’s last two Ligue Un games, Mbappe has been subbed off after 65 minutes in the 1-1 stalemate against Rennes and at half-time in the goalless draw against AS Monaco.
Mbappe spent the second half of the Monaco game watching on from the stands and it is hardly surprising to hear that he was not best pleased with a scenario that is entirely of his own making.
According to ESPN, Mbappe was ‘unhappy’ and ‘feels the substitutions are punishment for leaving the club at the end of the season’, while Enrique insisted his decisions were ‘nothing personal’ and felt the forward ‘was not fully fit and wanted to preserve him for more meaningful tests’.
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While it would be amusing if Mbappe was being ‘punished’ for dragging PSG through the wringer over the years, Enrique’s description of the supposed ‘tense’ situation is probably far more accurate.
So, is Mbappe being ‘punished’? Probably not. But given how his self-worth has been allowed to be blown out of control at PSG, Enrique’s recent treatment must at least sting the Frenchman, who would not have envisioned his final months at PSG to be anything other than a trophy-hunting goal-fest.
From Enrique’s perspective, the former Barcelona and Spain boss should not care one jot what Mbappe feels.
When it comes to individual talent, Mbappe is by far and away the best player at PSG. But he is not going to be there next season so Enrique is right to get ahead and start planning for his absence before this season is over.
Even after two consecutive draws, PSG are nine points clear of second-placed Brest in Ligue Un with ten games to go so their quest to seal a tenth league title in 12 seasons will not be undone by a couple of Mbappe-less experiments along the way.
Enrique’s team (and PSG as a whole) will be better for these trials heading into next season and in the long run, they may be stronger once their Mbappe-shaped burden has been lifted off them.
Mbappe is a big fish in a small-ish pond in Paris and this ongoing blow to his ego has been a long time coming. And before joining a team of fellow superstars in Madrid, he will eventually be thankful to Enrique – like we are currently – for the head coach bringing him down a peg or two en route to becoming Florentino Perez’s newest and shiniest Galactico.
