Aftermath of Mbappé’s PSG move: how the Neymar effect still fuels debate

Kylian Mbappé is now in his third season at Real Madrid, wearing the iconic number 10 shirt for the second year running. But the story could have begun nine years earlier if Paris Saint-Germain had not thwarted Real Madrid’s plans. Neymar’s transfer to PSG heavily influenced Mbappé’s decision to don the Parisian jersey instead of the white of Madrid. This revelation came from his former teammate Thiago Silva during the previous season, and it continues to spark discussion about what might have been.

Everything moved quickly for Kylian Mbappé. The 2016/2017 season was his first full campaign with AS Monaco. At the Stade Louis II, the young talent from Bondy helped his team reach the Champions League semi-finals, knocking out Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Thomas Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund along the way. Meanwhile, Monaco won Ligue 1 for the eighth time in their history, ending a 17-year wait. Mbappé was instrumental in temporarily halting PSG’s dominance of the French top flight since 2013. That was the first turning point in his career.

Why choose PSG? Because it’s my hometown club

Just 18 years old, a few months shy of his 19th birthday—which he could have celebrated as a Real Madrid player alongside his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Sergio Ramos—Kylian Mbappé decided to reject the advances of president Florentino Pérez, who was ready to put 180 million euros on the table. PSG matched that offer in the final stretch of the summer transfer window. In December 2018, Mbappé opened up to Marca about how the saga surrounding his future unfolded. The ending was particularly satisfying. “Why did I choose PSG? Because PSG is my hometown team. It’s like a kid from Madrid who supports Real and gets the chance to play for his team but goes elsewhere, to another country. No, I wanted to play for PSG and I’m very happy with how things are going. There were a lot of transfer rumors, it’s true we talked, but I think that’s in the past now for me and for Real Madrid. Now I play for PSG and I will defend these colors 100%.”

The on-pitch request that changed everything

However, Kylian Mbappé didn’t simply choose to wear the red and blue of Paris Saint-Germain because of his ties to the Paris region. His former PSG captain spoke a few months ago to Ligue 1+ about the club’s news. Thiago Silva revealed a previously secret conversation with Kylian Mbappé after the Trophée des Champions in the summer of 2017. “I remember the Trophée des Champions against Mbappé’s Monaco very well. At the end of the match, he came up to me and said: ‘If Neymar comes, I want to come too. You can talk to the president about it. I also want to be part of this team.’ Neymar signed and Mbappé arrived.” This revelation has fueled ongoing debate about the power of player influence in transfers.

An incredible friendship that faded over time

The scales tipped in favor of Paris Saint-Germain for Kylian Mbappé, largely due to the presence of Neymar, who had arrived in early August from FC Barcelona for a fee of 222 million euros. The two men formed a close bond that eventually waned over time. “An incredible friendship was born from the start. Then a few years later, what happened happened. I’m a bit disappointed by how things turned out. It should have been different.” The fallout from that partnership and its eventual dissolution continues to shape discussions about PSG’s project and Mbappé’s legacy.

By Daniel Mbami — Politics and Security