The French champions now have a mountain to climb in the Champions League, and may not be able to rely on their distracted No.7
“I’m not going to hide,” Kylian Mbappe told Telefoot before the first leg of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona at Parc des Princes. “I’m sure we are going to give it our all.”
For the most part, PSG did give everything on their way to a heart-breaking 3-2 defeat on Wednesday, bossing possession and mustering more shots than their Spanish opponents. But Mbappe broke his promise.
Jules Kounde effectively put his French national-team colleague on a leash for the full 90 minutes, and at times it felt as though PSG were playing with 10 men. Mbappe had carried the Ligue 1 giants to this stage almost single-handedly, with three of his six goals coming in their last-16 triumph over Real Sociedad, which earned him a billing as Barcelona’s potential executioner.
Mbappe has consistently shown he can deliver when it matters most. Nineteen of his 46 Champions League goals for PSG have come in the knockout stage, while at international level he has found the net 12 times in World Cups; only five players have managed more in the history of the game.
The fact he’s achieved so much by the age of 25 is staggering, and it’s frightening to think that his prime years are still very much ahead of him. So what went so spectacularly wrong against Barcelona? The answer is clear: Mbappe’s head is already in Madrid.
‘Subdued and unhappy’
PSG probably would have edged out Barca had Mbappe been in the right headspace. Xavi’s side came into the game in good form, but they’re still very much a work in progress, and don’t hold a candle to the great Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola teams of the recent past – as the current PSG boss reminded his counterpart in the build-up to the game.
But Mbappe made absolutely no impact on the left side of PSG’s attack, recording just one successful dribble all night and three shots – none of which found the target. As per ESPN, he also lost possession on 13 occasions as his uncharacteristic lack of concentration, composure and enthusiasm held his team back.
French outlet Le Parisien were scathing in their assessment of Mbappe, who they felt “cost the Parisians victory” after an “invisible” performance. Meanwhile, former PSG youth player and Senegal player, Habib Beye, said on Canal Plus: “He is the player that should make the difference. He can’t have a match like that when he’s the leader of PSG’s attack. Mbappe lacked intensity today. He wasn’t good and he should be better, I found him subdued and unhappy.”
L’Equipe handed out a damning 3/10 rating for Mbappe, the same score Erling Haaland got for a similarly ineffective performance against Real Madrid a day earlier, which actually felt a bit generous because Mbappe is a much better technical footballer than Haaland. He didn’t put in any effort against Barca, though, and there is no bigger crime for a player of his stature.
Plummeting motivation levels
There are those who will argue that Mbappe is just rusty. After all, he has only started three of PSG’s last seven games in Ligue 1, and was taken off after just 65 minutes in their 2-0 Classique victory over Marseille.
Luis Enrique has insisted that he is just carefully managing Mbappe’s minutes, but of course, there is more to it than that. Mbappe only started to see his role reduced after it was reported in February that he has decided to leave PSG when his contract expires at the end of the season and sign for Real Madrid on a free transfer.
Mbappe’s motivation levels have clearly plummeted since then and he’s only showing up when he can be bothered. After the Marseille game, he posted a picture of himself trudging off the pitch with the captain’s armband in hand, with the caption: “Are you sad my love? Relax, it’s almost time.”
It’s obvious that this divorce is not going to be a smooth one, because Mbappe doesn’t seem to care about bowing out on a high. He was taken offer at half-time when PSG visited his former club Monaco at the start of March, and didn’t even have the good grace to join his team-mates on the bench for the remainder of the game. The World Cup winner changed into a tracksuit and made a call on his mobile in the tunnel before making his way to the stands, smiling and waving at Monaco fans on the way. Finally, after signing autographs and posing for photos, Mbappe took a seat next to his mother and agent, Fayza Lamari.
To make matters even worse, he was also spotted smiling and laughing after PSG were held to a 0-0 draw, which was a blow to their title hopes at the time. All things considered, Luis Enrique has actually been quite lenient with Mbappe, which may have to change if they are to have any hope of a comeback against Barca.
Should have seen this coming
Spanish outlet Marca claimed that “Mbappe is starting to see everything in white” in one of their match report headlines after PSG’s defeat to Barca, and all of his actions on and off the pitch point to that being the case.
The Mbappe to Real Madrid saga has been going on for almost a decade now, as Los Blancos initially made a play for the France forward before his switch to Monaco from PSG in 2017. They made it their mission to lure Mbappe away from Parc des Princes in 2021, only to see a series of mega-money bids rejected, and were left embarrassed the following year as he put pen to paper on a new contract.
That is, until Mbappe was asked by the BBC if his “dream” of playing for Real Madrid was over a few days later, to which he responded: “Never over, never over. You never know what can happen in the future. I spoke to the president of Real Madrid [Florentino Perez] because I have a lot of respect for him and the club. We have a good relationship.”
PSG bent over backwards to keep hold of Mbappe, reportedly even going as far as to grant him executive powers behind the scenes, and his two-year extension included the option of an extra year, which he refused to take up last summer. They really should have seen that coming.
Mbappe has squeezed everything he can out of PSG, seemingly without ever feeling a true sense of loyalty. Real Madrid were always going to get their man in the end, and mentally he’s already packed his bags.
Missed opportunity
Mbappe going missing on Wednesday was surprising for many reasons, not least because of a subtle dig from Barca president Joan Laporta in the build-up. “The message for our fans is to believe in our players and our coach,” he said. “We have a great team. We are very focused and it is very important that they know I wouldn’t change any of our players for one from PSG.”
Laporta is doing his best to play down the significance of Mbappe’s impending arrival at Barca’s fiercest rivals whenever the opportunity to arises. In an interview with Mundo Deportivo last month, he shrugged off any suggestion of jealousy on his part towards Real as they close in on a blockbuster signing.
“No, not at all,” Laporta said. “They will have a problem there. They will have to transfer a player, right? Because two players aren’t going to play in the same position… And speaking about the numbers involved [in the deal], it’s going to distort the dressing room for sure. It’s not a gift.”
According to Sky Sports, Madrid are set to make Mbappe the highest paid player in their history, albeit with that package not quite matching the £171 million ($215m) per year he is currently earning at PSG. The France international is also in line to pocket an outrageous £100m ($125m) signing-on fee, which should help cushion the blow of a pay cut.
It’s entirely possible that some Madrid players will feel underappreciated once the transfer is made official, especially if Mbappe fails to hit the ground running at Santiago Bernabeu. Laporta was also right in pointing out that his best position has always been on the left flank, which is currently occupied by Vinicius Jr, and he may have to get used to playing as a No.9 week in, week out.
There would have been no better way to shut up the Barca president than ripping his team apart in Paris. The Mbappe who scored a hat-trick when PSG faced the Blaugrana in the 2020-21 Champions League last-16 would have used that kind of criticism as fuel, but that edge is gone – he’s lost the eye of the tiger, and PSG may never see that version of him again.
High on self-importance
Mbappe looked every inch a future Ballon d’Or winner when he masterminded Barcelona’s downfall at Camp Nou three years ago, and he has still been PSG’s most influential player throughout Luis Enrique’s debut season. There are no question marks over Mbappe’s quality, but his actions this season smack of a player high on his own self-importance, and that will have to change if he is to go on and reach his full potential.
Admittedly, he wasn’t helped by the manager’s tactics in midweek. Luis Enrique made the bizarre call to start with Marcos Asensio as a false nine, despite the fact he’s not played much recently, and Barca were able to double up on Mbappe as a result.
The PSG boss also played Lee Kang-in in midfield and shifted Marquinhos to right-back, and Mbappe was barely able to get involved as the hosts struggled for any sort of cohesion in the first half. Luis Enrique recognised what was going wrong, though, and brought on Bradley Barcola at half-time while switching Ousmane Dembele infield. The momentum of the match turned for a time, but they needed Mbappe’s magic to get over the line, and he didn’t answer the call.
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand said after covering the match for TNT Sports: “The one we spoke about, the best player in the world in my opinion; Mbappe. He didn’t perform, and when he doesn’t perform, PSG invariably don’t get the result.”
Hero or villain?
Although there is a strong case for Luis Enrique to drop Mbappe for the second leg of PSG’s Champions League quarter-final at Barca’s temporary Olympic Stadium home, it would be a huge risk. Mbappe is still the Ligue 1 club’s most deadly weapon and fully capable of turning the tide of the tie if he’s in the mood.
It all boils down to trust. While it’s true that Mbappe hasn’t seen as many minutes as usual, he has now failed to score in six of his last 10 appearances in all competitions, and Luis Enrique doesn’t know what he’s going to get from him.
PSG’s long wait for a maiden Champions League crown will continue if Mbappe repeats his first-leg performance. They can’t win with a passenger in their ranks, which means Luis Enrique either has to hit Mbappe with some tough home truths, or take him out of the firing line completely.
After storming to the top of PSG’s all-time scorer’s chart and helping the club win 13 domestic trophies, it would be a real shame if he departs the club as a villain, but that’s exactly what will happen if he doesn’t have an epiphany over the next few days.
Xavi’s Barcelona can still be overcome, and with Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund awaiting in the last four, PSG will still have their sights on making only their second-ever Champions League final. Mbappe owes it to them to at least try and be the hero, one last time – only then will be able to join Real with his head held high.