Mbappe should clearly leave PSG to develop his career but is Real Madrid the right destination?

Mbappe’s future is still a huge question mark. Photo: AFP

How does Paris St Germain decide on the future of Kylian Mbappe when the contract between the two sides expires next summer? Do they really believe that a player who nearly joined Real Madrid two years ago would happily extend his contract?

Lionel Messi is gone. Neymar is also set to leave the French capital in the face of offers from Chelsea and the Saudi Pro League. Mbappe is the last star left. It is not an exaggeration to say that Mbappe embodies a PSG that lacks identity and collectivity.

However, it wouldn’t be fair to blame Mbappe or even Neymar and Messi. In a way, the French player is a victim. Mbappe’s talent is without a table and is being wasted in Paris.

Messi, Neymar and Mbappe can all leave PSG at the same time. Photo: The Guardian

Of course, Mbappe’s 148 goals in 6 seasons in Ligue 1 are not so worthless. But it feels like the World Cup’s top scorer in 2022 has not yet received a commensurate return.

Mbappe had an excellent 2022 World Cup. Although not winning, but 8 goals, including a hat-trick in the final, is a remarkable achievement. Especially the second goal against Argentina came from a time of great pressure. And remember Mbappe did it all at the age of 24.

But in general, Mbappe still leaves many ripples in his performance. Mbappe lacked the ability to support the defense when he did not make a successful tackle or intercept during the whole World Cup.

At the national team level, where there’s not a lot of cohesion, it’s not a big deal and it’s manageable. Messi is also such a player, but now he has turned 35 instead of 24 like Mbappe.

Messi’s career rarely has a balance in the colors of club and country. Since 2015, Barcelona have often suffered bitter defeats in the Champions League because of a slow midfield and an aging attack and lack of mobility. They still have superior ball control but are vulnerable to counter-attacks.

Mbappe needs to improve his defensive support. Photo: AFP

Those are also the familiar mistakes of PSG in the Champions League in recent years. There was even a time when the PSG players objected to the head coach’s tactics because they had to… run too much.

Therefore, Mbappe needs to leave PSG because he is not perfect…

If he moved to La Liga for Real Madrid, Mbappe could still score more than 25 goals per season and have less to move and assist in defense.

On the left, Real owns Vinicius, who is close to Mbappe’s level. The French striker can be brought in to replace Karim Benzema in the striker position, but he tends to drift left to receive the ball.

Is Mbappe ready to change the game, or Carlo Ancelotti must find a way to fit the French player into the already cramped attack?

Mbappe’s arrival will be significant in many ways at the Bernabeu. But what does Real have to trade for Mbappe to get the most comfort?

President Florentino Perez will still welcome Mbappe. If PSG do not agree to sell Mbappe this summer, they can lose him in a year. The same scenario happened in the summer of 2021, but then PSG “break the safe” to keep Mbappe.

And now, how will PSG manage or is this simply Mbapppe’s “fake” move?

Perez is ready to welcome Mbappe but what about Al-Khelaifi? Photo: AFP