Kylian Mbappé confirmed what the football world had long predicted, announcing his departure from Paris Saint-Germain for a highly anticipated move to Real Madrid.
Mbappé announced on X on Friday that his farewell home game for PSG will be against Toulouse on Sunday.
“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.”
Mbappé gulped and paused for breath as he addressed the PSG 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 newspaper L’Equipe, Mbappé went to meet and dine with PSG ultras known as CUP (Paris Ultras Collective) shortly after making his statement.
Mbappé, 25, now captains France and won the World Cup in 2018, becoming only the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup final. He was the leading scorer of the 2022 World Cup, including a rare hat trick in the final.
End of an era for PSG
Mbappé joined PSG in 2017 from Monaco for €180 million ($194 million). Real Madrid, the 14-time Champions League winner, is expected to buy him.
In 2021, PSG rejected a €180 million proposal from Madrid for Mbappé. He renewed his contract with PSG but did not exercise the option for an additional year. He announced earlier this year that he will be departing PSG 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 Saint-Germain. 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 which feature his signature move: sprinting down the left wing, cutting inside a wrong-footed defender, and curling the ball into the right corner with speed and accuracy.
Mbappé’s exit will mark the end of the superstar era at PSG.
He joined the club alongside Neymar, who cost a world record €222 million ($239 million). Zlatan Ibrahimovic (156 goals for the club), Edinson Cavani (200 goals for PSG), and Lionel Messi (who won his seventh of eight Ballon d’Ors) all played for PSG.
