Ultimately, Mbappe bid farewell to the Parc des Princes, echoing his time at PSG.
Another goal, another trophy, one step closer to another record – the first player in the history of French football to win the top flight Golden Boot for six consecutive seasons.
Before kick-off, the club’s fans prepared a ceremony in the Auteuil Stand to mark his legacy – featuring his trademark arms-crossed celebration. There was also a banner that read: “Child from the Paris suburbs, you became a Paris Saint-Germain legend.”
But the game was not a complete celebration of his seven years in Paris. Yes, there were songs singing his praises, but there were also some boos and whistles when his name was read out before kick-off. The night ended in lifting the trophy, but also ended in a defeat to Toulouse, only PSG’s second defeat of the season. Luis Enrique called it his worst performance of the season.
😳 The whistle sounded at the Parc des Princes when Kylian Mbappe’s name was announced.#PSGTFC pic.twitter.com/FOhSczZEPQ
— Prime Video France Sport (@PVSportFR) May 12, 2024
Mbappe’s send-off was underwhelming considering his impact on PSG. The main focus of the night was on winning the title, not Mbappe’s farewell. Paris Saint-Germain celebrated their 12th win in Ligue 1, an achievement that sheds light on the pinnacle of French football and now moves two games clear of Marseille and Saint-Etienne. This is also the club’s 50th major trophy. The event was greeted by a lavish party orchestrated by the famous Parisian composer Thomas Roussel.
Mbappe announced the news in a four-minute video posted via social media channels on Friday, all too soon. The club did not issue a statement or post at the same time. They were shocked.
deeper
Kylian Mbappe is leaving PSG – what does it mean for him, the club and Real Madrid?
But Mbappe cannot leave PSG without clarification before the club’s final home game of the season. Weeks of hints about his future can no longer drag on. He did not reveal his destination, with Parisians hoping Real Madrid would be his destination, but he did confirm that this time, it was truly a farewell.
How the Parc des Princes will receive him for the final time will always be in the spotlight. Will supporters cheer him on? On the surface it may seem odd not to praise the club’s greatest goalscorer, but this is PSG, this is Kylian Mbappe, and there’s no way the off-field drama of the past seven years has been without its impact.
HAny hints at the farewell video? Mbappe thanked almost everyone at the club, including all his former coaches. However, there was no mention of club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, nor of former sporting director Antero Enrique.
Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain celebrate their Ligue 1 title win (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
This past season alone has contributed to that. After informing the club that he wished to leave at the end of his contract, PSG told him he would have to extend his contract or be sold, rather than triggering an option to extend his contract by one year. He was then unceremoniously thrown into the “bomb squad”, the undesirables on the transfer list, and left out of the club’s pre-season tours in Japan and South Korea.
This is just the latest episode in the soap opera between Mbappe and PSG. In 2022, he seemed ready to join Real Madrid, but then suddenly made a U-turn and signed a lucrative contract. A summer ago, there was a lot of speculation about his future. In a way, much of his time at the club has felt like one long goodbye. This can be tiring.
The glory of Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe is probably aware of this. Mbappe attended a barbecue at the Parc des Princes with the club’s biggest fans on Friday following the release of the announcement video. On the surface, it seemed like a goodwill gesture before he left. Mbappe was heckled when his side won a Ligue 1 winners’ medal last season, but he avoided the worst and his relationships were rebuilt over time.
Throughout the season, despite speculation off the pitch, he has not been questioned by Super fans. There were some loud whistles before kick-off on Sunday, but after full-time he was called out three times by matchday announcer Michelle Montana during the trophy lifting. There is also tifo after the warm-up. Mbappe walked over to say hello to the fans and watched as Tifo was raised in front of him. Along with Mbappe’s slogan.
A giant Tifo depicting Kylian Mbappe is raised before kick-off last night (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images)
It’s fitting, because despite this, PSG will still remember him as their best ever player. He was born in the Paris suburb of Bondy and returned to the capital before his 26th birthday to break a string of records for the club.
His goal against Toulouse took him to his 256th goal for the club, extending his status as the club’s all-time top scorer. For PSG, he also has the most goals, most hat-tricks, most “doubles” and most goals in a single game (five) in Europe. He helped France win the World Cup, scored in consecutive World Cup finals, including a hat trick, won the World Cup Golden Boot, and became captain of the national team.
This is his sporting legacy and how fans will remember him. His goal on Sunday was a prime example of this, a burst of incomprehensible pace combined with superb control and ice-cold finishing – but his time at PSG won’t be fondly remembered either.
Kylian Mbappe celebrates his final league goal for PSG against Toulouse (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
It was a time of politics, player power and, fundamentally, the club’s ambitions in the Champions League had yet to be realized. It was a period that ended in disillusionment, a sentiment that was defined by fan protests last summer but is now starting to dissipate as the club moves away from superstar players and towards a new era and identity.
Mbappe will certainly be remembered more fondly as time goes on as arguably their greatest ever talent and club icon.
Now, however, PSG and their supporters are eager to start a new chapter.
Fans will look back on his greatness with fondness, but as Sunday showed, the memory of the noise off the field will linger. The feeling that greeted his farewell was not entirely affectionate.Despite all that has been achieved.
(Top photo: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
