Kylian Mbappé faces Paris Saint-Germain for the first time since his departure from the French club a year ago, as Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid undergoes its biggest test yet in the semi-final of the Club World Cup on Wednesday.
Mbappé is adorned in the history of PSG, having enjoyed seven successful seasons with the team and leaving as their all-time leading scorer, netting an impressive 256 goals in 308 appearances.
However, his legacy has been somewhat overshadowed by the circumstances surrounding his exit. Many believe that during the latter half of his tenure in Paris, he was biding his time, waiting for the opportunity to join Real Madrid, the club he had dreamt of representing since childhood.
PSG’s Qatari president, Nasser al-Khelaifi, has expressed dissatisfaction with how Mbappé opted to let his contract run down, ultimately leaving them without a transfer fee as he signed with Real for 2024.
Since then, a contentious legal battle has ensued, with Mbappé claiming he is owed €55 million (approximately $64.4 million) in unpaid wages and bonuses from his time in Paris.
A recent development occurred this week when one of Mbappé’s lawyers informed AFP that the French captain withdrew a complaint of moral harassment against his former club.
This came after the Paris prosecutor’s office disclosed last month that an investigation had been initiated following Mbappé’s allegations regarding his treatment by PSG during the summer of 2023.
He contends that he was sidelined and forced to train with players PSG intended to offload after he declined to renew his contract.
Mbappé missed a pre-season tour to Japan as well as the beginning of the new campaign before being reintegrated into Luis Enrique’s squad.
Despite these issues now in the past, they seem trivial compared to his personal achievements in his inaugural season with Real.
The 26-year-old, who claimed a World Cup title in 2018, has scored a remarkable 43 goals in 56 appearances across all competitions for his new club by the end of the La Liga campaign.
Nevertheless, he has experienced frustration at the Club World Cup, missing the group stage entirely due to a stomach bug that required hospitalisation.
Could This Be His First Start?
During his absence, young talent Gonzalo Garcia has stepped up admirably, starting all five matches in the United States and contributing four goals.
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Garcia’s latest contribution was the opener in a thrilling 3-2 quarter-final victory against Borussia Dortmund at the MetLife Stadium on Saturday, although it was Mbappé who ultimately scored the crucial deciding goal.
Coming off the bench midway through the second half, he executed a stunning acrobatic overhead kick to secure Real’s third goal in stoppage time.
“He isn’t at his peak yet, not 100 percent, but he is improving every day,” said Alonso following the match.
“Now he will have three days to continue progressing and feeling better ahead of the semi-final.”
It’s challenging to envision Mbappé not starting against PSG, the team that clinched the Champions League title in the season following his exit, after numerous disappointments in Europe during his time there.
PSG have arrived in the U.S. after a commanding 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
They advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in Atlanta, despite having Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez shown red cards, and they have no reason to fear Real.
“It doesn’t matter who we face in the semi-finals. What matters is that we are present and eager to reach the final,” remarked Luis Enrique, who has personal ties to Madrid after playing there for five years in the 1990s.
Alonso, having recently taken over as Real’s coach after an impressive stint with Bayer Leverkusen, has already showcased great tactical versatility, shifting between a four-man defence and a three-centre-back setup during the tournament.
It will be intriguing to see which formation he opts for and whether Mbappé starts, as he prepares to take on PSG for the first time since July 2017, when he was still a promising teenager at Monaco.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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