Mbappé confirms PSG departure

The Frenchman says ahead of an expected move to Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappé confirmed what the soccer world was long expecting to hear, announcing that he is leaving Paris Saint-Germain ahead of a widely expected move to Real Madrid.

Mbappé said on X on Friday that his final home game for PSG will be on Sunday against Toulouse.

"I never thought it would be this difficult to leave my country," he said in the video post.

"I think I needed this, a new challenge after seven years."

An emotional-looking Mbappé gulped and paused for breath as he addressed PSG's fans.

"It's a club I will keep in my mind for my entire life. I will tell everybody I had the chance to play here."

He added, "You will stay in my heart forever," then winked and raised a thumb.

According to sports daily L'Equipe, Mbappé went to meet and dine with PSG ultras known as CUP (Paris Ultras Collective) shortly after making his announcement.

They were set to discuss tributes to him at Parc des Princes on Sunday night.

After that game, French champion PSG has league games to follow at Nice and Metz. He is once more the French league top scorer, with 26 goals.

The 25-year-old Mbappé now captains France and won the World Cup in 2018, becoming the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup final. He top-scored at the 2022 World Cup, including a rare hat trick in the final.

Mbappé joined PSG in 2017 from Monaco in a deal worth 180 million euros (USD 194 million). He is expected to be bought by 14-time Champions League winner Real Madrid.

In 2021, PSG turned down a bid of 180 million euros from Madrid for Mbappé. He renewed his contract with PSG but didn't take up the option for an extra year. Earlier this year, he told PSG he's leaving at the end of the season. On Friday, he confirmed it. "I wanted to announce to you all that it's my last year (season) with Paris SaintGermain.

I will not extend (my contract) and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks," he said.

"First of all, I want to thank my teammates, all the teammates I had, all the coaches: Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Christophe Galtier and Luis Enrique." He has 255 goals for PSG, many of them featuring his trademark move: Sprinting down the left wing, cutting inside a wrongfooted defender and curling the ball into the right corner with speed and precision.

While his prolific output helped to deliver six league titles in seven years, it also often masked glaring deficiencies

"I never thought it would be this difficult to leave my country. I think I needed this, a new challenge after seven years. It's a club I will keep in my mind for my entire life. I will tell everybody I had the chance to play here."

– Kylian Mbappe, PSG striker

that were exposed at the highest level in the Champions League.

On Tuesday night, he trudged off the field when PSG went out of the semifinals of the Champions League after losing to Borussia Dortmund 1-0 in each leg.

Mbappé's departure will end the superstar era at PSG.