Every soccer fan has probably heard about Kylian Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid. The prolific soccer player is set to be revealed as a Madrid player on June 6, 2024, and fans are excited to see what happens next for him. 

Kylian Mbappe, 25, is a French football player mostly known from PSG, Paris-Saint Germain, for his speed and his attacking position. These attributes made him a dominant force in European club competitions. He made history as the first football player to score 4 career goals in the 2022 World Cup finals.

Mbappe joined the local club AS Bondy at six years old, where his father was a coach and director. His impressive speed and ball-handling skills led him to be selected to train at France’s national academy for elect football players. After spending two years there, many European clubs—Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain(PSG) — were interested in signing him. At age 14 years, he signed with AS Monaco and played on the club’s youth and under-19 teams in 2013. 

On December 2, 2015, almost 17 years old, Mbappe made his debut with AS Monaco’s first team. He became the youngest first-team player in the club’s history. In the 2015-16 season, he scored only one goal and had limited playing time. In the following season, he scored 15 goals, tying him up for fifth among Ligue 1 players; AS Monaco captured the Ligue 1 title. The following year, Mbappe moved to PSG, along with Neymar Jr., who is also a great soccer player. They led PSG to win 3 consecutive Ligue 1 titles. 

Mbappe was named Player of the Year for the 2018-19 season— scoring 33 goals — the most in Ligue 1. In the next 3 seasons, he led the league in goals, and again earned league Player of the Year honors in 2020-21 and 2021-22.  

In 2021-22, Mbappe signed an extension clause that could keep him in PSG through 2025. In turn, that made him the world’s highest-paid footballer. Going on from the 2021-22 season to the 2022-23 season, he kept up his hard work and eventually, again, was named league Player of the Year for leading Ligue 1 in goals; PSG won another Ligue 1 Championship. 

All these achievements lead to a question: Why would Mbappe want to leave PSG?

It had been known in 2022 that Mbappe had signed an extension of his contract with PSG; however, it seems something has changed. Has Mbappe always wanted to be at Real Madrid? 

Yes. 

There have been many controversies surrounding why he settled at PSG even though his dream team was Real Madrid — his idol being Christiano Ronaldo. Many say that with Karim Benzema, Christiano Ronaldo, and Gareth Bale —exceptional players — at Real Madrid, Mbappe would not be guaranteed playing time. He said that going to PSG would “help [him] develop while [he] wins titles” and so it happened.  

Others say that it is money-related; PSG, apparently, showed more interest in the money they offered than that of Real Madrid. Whatever the reason, the decision he made was a wise one because of all the awards and history he has made. 

However,  that decision also had negative repercussions.

Clearly, Mbappe would not be the only exceptional player at PSG. Neymar, a talented soccer player from Brazil, was also at PSG when Mbappe came there. They both flourished alongside each other for a while, but the longer they spent on the same forward line and same dressing room, the more difficult their relationship became. 

On top of that, Lionel Messi, who is considered one of the best football players in history, came to PSG which further complicated the tensions between them. 

It had been known that PSG used Mbappe’s image to garner commercial gain, and have had conflicts within the team: “Things such as contract disputes, disagreements with the coaching staff, … may have led him to believe that the only way for him to continue as a football player was to switch clubs”  a junior and soccer player at LHS, Thomas Wadas, voices. 

Although Mbappe was scoring a copious number of goals, and was earning huge amounts of money in a city he loved, PSG could not keep him happy.

It was no surprise to soccer fans when Mbappe announced his transfer to Real Madrid. PSG –no shock– tried to meddle in this situation. Al Hilal, a soccer team, offered Mbappe a world-record 300 million pounds to take Mbappe to Saudi Arabia. PSG were accepting of the transfer bid, but Mbappe did not even want to discuss it with them. He had his mind set on Real Madrid, and as a free agent, this summer. 

It is totally understandable that he would make such a decision as he viewed Real Madrid as the team that will give him the best chances of success in the future. As Wadas argues, “moving to a club where he will be constantly exposed to top competition will allow him to not only further prove himself, but also give him the best chance at winning trophies.” 

I think that with other star players at Real Madrid such as Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, it will definitely be difficult for Mbappe to shine, however, as time passes on, his “blistering pace and incredible match sense” will be talked about. Just as he did with PSG, he will do with Real Madrid as long as he focuses on what he loves doing. 

As much as we love seeing Mbappe at PSG, and soccer fans love seeing the impact he keeps making on their team, maybe it is time to hang up his cleats on the team. I definitely think that Mbappe has stayed at PSG for a good amount of time, and that it is time for him to leave. His big personality on and off the field will be continue at Real Madrid. 

As Mrs. Nacsin, a soccer coach at LHS said, “If it is what he wants, then it is the right decision.” 

Mbappe has always wanted to play at his home, France, so the fact that he is leaving his home to a foreign place is certainly a bit of a surprise to PSG fans. 

There are going to be a lot of figuring things out, especially with positioning between Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, and now, Mbappe: “With the three up top, I don’t know positioning. I hope they figure it out,” Coach Nacsin projects. 

However, I wish him good luck, and I know that if he keeps up his passion for soccer, any impediments on the way will not stop him.