Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
THE KING OF PARIS
¤150m signing fee, ¤1m a week wages and unrivalled power... French superstar snubs Real but PSG is in danger of becoming MBAPPE FC
KYLIAN MBAPPE’S new power at Paris Saint-germain has been quickly wielded with the sacking of sporting director Leonardo hours after the Frenchman agreed a new contract.
But PSG risk becoming “FC Mbappe” and victims of “the politics of the rockstar”, former World
Cup winner Bixente Lizarazu (second right) has warned.
The biggest transfer story of the summer reached a remarkable conclusion on Saturday when the Ligue 1 winners confirmed the 23-year-old had turned down
Real Madrid and agreed a new three-year deal. Mbappe celebrated by scoring a hat-trick amid a carnival atmosphere at the Parc des
Princes in a 5-0 win over Metz.
But La Liga reacted with an extraordinary statement calling the deal “scandalous” and threatening to report PSG to
UEFA, the EU and French authorities.
The Qatari-owned club have paid a huge prize to ensure the planet’s best player will still be a PSG star at this year’s World Cup, with a re-signing fee reported to be up to €150m and a €50m annual salary and Mbappe retaining his image rights.
But Mbappe will also have a say in the new head coach, with Zinedine Zidane (third right) the club’s first choice to replace Mauricio Pochettino (top right). Joachim Low, Roberto Martinez and Nice’s Christophe Gaultier are the back-up options. And his strained relationship with
Leonardo – the Brazilian was not involved in the final contract negotiations – saw the sporting director fired after the Metz match.
Portuguese Jorge Campos, who signed Mbappe at Monaco, is favourite to take over.
It is unprecedented power and influence for a 23-year-old at a club which also employs Lionel Messi and Neymar.
And France 98 winner Lizarazu said: “I have the feeling he really had PSG and Qatar on their knees. In the history of football, I have never seen a player put on its knees a state, nearly, because PSG is owned by Qatar.
“The power Mbappe has taken is impressive. There is a danger, PSG must not now become FC Mbappe. Leonardo is going to leave. It is making sure we are not in the politics of the rockstar. Here you get the feeling Mbappe is the boss of the club.”
Real failed to sign Mbappe for a fourth time before arriving in Paris for Saturday’s Champions League final with Liverpool.
La Liga president Javier Tebas (above) called the deal “an insult to football” and a statement said: “It is scandalous a club like PSG, which last season reported losses of more than €220m after accumulating losses of more than €700m in prior seasons, can close such an agreement.
“State-owned clubs do not respect the rules of a sector as important as football. This kind of behaviour endangers European football on the same level as the European Super League.”