France won their second title at the 2018 World Cup, defeating Croatia 4–2 in the final. This November, they will seek what no team since Pele’s Brazil has achieved: back-to-back World Cup titles. To achieve this, they will be relying heavily on 23-year-old Kylian Mbappé. Even at this young age, he is already a star. Having led Monaco to an unlikely French league title in 2017 at just 18 years old, he was signed by powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for 180 million Euros, the highest price tag for a teenage contract in history. Since then, he has led his club and country to numerous titles. However, he is yet to win the Champion’s League or achieve the coveted Ballon D’or, the prize for best footballer in the world. This past summer, he nearly left for Spanish Giant Real Madrid only to recommit for three more seasons at a staggering monthly wage of £4 million, making him the highest-paid player in the world. In recent weeks, he has requested a transfer out of Paris. How did this all happen?
Since the Qatari takeover in 2011, PSG has been dominant in France, winning eight of the last 10 league titles. However, they are yet to succeed in Europe. Having bought the likes of David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Neymar (known by just the first name), they have used their deep pockets to always sign the highest priced star, often prioritizing bringing in big names over developing talent or creating a cohesive tactical system.
This is evident in their current squad in which Mbappé is lining up alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, two other highly touted offensive strikers who enjoy playing on the ball while doing minimal defending. This has forced Mbappé out of position, pushing him to the wing, where he waits to receive the ball, a direct result of PSG’s star-centric approach. It is no wonder Mbappé nearly left for his boyhood favorite club Real Madrid or that he is trying to leave now. This move has not been without consequence; Kylian has been excoriated by local and international media. Why is there such backlash?
Mbappé is different. He is the face of both France’s National team, as well as its premier club. This is a gift and a curse. Unlike Europe’s other elite leagues (England, Germany, Spain, Italy) most members of France’s national team play for clubs in other countries. Mbappé is a Frenchman playing in Paris; his fate has always been intertwined with that of his country. Leaving PSG is not simply a betrayal of his club, but of France as a nation.
Mbappé resembles a young Lebron James, a sporting prodigy whose early success became a source of anxiety. He is a victim of skyrocketing expectations eventually forcing him to leave home, making him a pariah to those who once cheered him. Most great players compete first to be the best player on their team, then in the league, then in the world. Only once they have been at this peak for some time do they begin competing for legacy. For Lebron and Mbappé, early success has meant they have been competing against immortal ghosts from the time they were teenagers. For LeBron, this was the specter of Michael Jordan. For Mbappé, it is Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the former he now shares a dressing room with. Mbappé lives in the rare space to be competing against players past and present. In this space, one can only be a disappointment against such high expectations.
Now, he finds himself in the position James did during the Summer of 2010. On July 8th, 2010, Lebron made the fateful decision to take his talents from his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to the stacked Miami Heat. In the aftermath, fans burned Lebron’s jersey. The only way he was able to redeem himself was to return to Cleveland and win a championship six years later.
As sports fans, we have conflicting expectations of our stars. We want them to win but ridicule them if they leave for a better squad. We want them to be loyal but deride a front office that doesn’t actively hunt for the next superstar acquisition. PSG has an effectively infinite budget but no culture or history to speak of. His teammates Lionel Messi and Neymar won their titles thanks to FC Barcelona’s infrastructure and highly productive academy. Meanwhile, PSG squanders academy talent to free up space for the next foreign star. In 2020, one of their one graduates, Kingsley Coman, scored the lone goal in the Champion’s League final for German club Bayern Munich, defeating PSG.
Do I have sympathy for Mbappé? No, not really, and not just because he makes more in a month than I will in a lifetime. The media characterizations of a perpetually unhappy youngster are mostly true if a bit harsh. However, I do recognize his frustration. So much of modern sports is focused on building the roster that looks best on the marquee rather than on the field. In a landscape where Mbappé is a “failure” for not winning football’s biggest prizes before he has really reached his prime, I understand why he wants to leave.
