Kylian Mbappe is ready to sacrifice one of his biggest dreams to sign with Real Madrid in the summer.
Mbappe’s contract with PSG is up at the end of June, with his destiny appearing increasingly likely to be in the Spanish capital.
But while he is set to complete one of his major life goals to sign for Los Blancos, it appears probable that it will mean sacrificing another of his major targets – and one that he will never have the opportunity to achieve again.
L’Equipe reports that the prospect of the 25-year-old forward playing for France in the summer Olympics. Mbappe had officially targeted playing in the Games, at least in part because they take place in his hometown of Paris. He would have been one of the major attractions.
While he is still publicly aiming to play in the Olympics, circumstances suggest he will not have the chance.
“Whatever his desire to experience the Olympic Games in his country, the possibility of seeing him compete in the competition Thierry Henry’s team is diminishing day by day. Hope, from now on, would even be quite slim,” L’Equipe states.
So what is the problem?
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The Olympic Games are not set aside by FIFA as international dates, so clubs can dictate whether they release their players for the competition.
While French clubs are likely to release players for the competition in a bid to build national prestige, the competition, in the words of L’Equipe, “means absolutely nothing for foreign clubs”.
It is noted that there is a double risk in allowing players to participate in the Olympics. Firstly, players will not have the opportunity to go through pre-season as normal. Secondly, in a case like Mbappe’s he would not have had a break after the European Championship.
These are risks that Real Madrid are not prepared to take, and it appears that Mbappe is not prepared to spurn Los Blancos over the issue.
“I have reached a stage in my life and my career where I no longer want to force things. If they let me do them, I will go with great pleasure but if it is not possible, I will understand,” he told GQ in January.
Mbappe has traded the dream of playing in the Olympics to instead sign for Real Madrid.