After another early end in the premier class, Paris Saint-Germain faces an uncertain future. The most important question: What will become of the superstars?
When world footballer Lionel Messi sneaked out of the Allianz Arena at midnight with his head bowed and without a word, Kylian Mbappé had just caused a great stir. After another knockout round in the Champions League, the frustrated superstar left his future at Paris Saint-Germain open – and thus indirectly questioned the multi-billion dollar Qatar project. The French journal The team already saw the “end of an illusion”.
After the deserved 0:2 (0:0) at Bayern Munich it is more open than ever how – and above all: with whom – things will continue at PSG. Even with the aging Messi (35), whose contract expires at the end of the season, and the currently injured Neymar (until 2025), there is always speculation about a farewell in the summer. The hapless coach Christophe Galtier has long been up for grabs anyway.
But after the next bitter disappointment, the personality of miracle striker Mbappé hung above everything else. When asked about staying in Paris, the 2018 world champion didn’t want to get specific – although he only signed a contract that was said to be worth 600 million euros until 2025 last summer: “I’m relaxed about that. The only thing that counts for me this season is the championship. Then we’ll see.”
It is a decision with far-reaching and yet unforeseeable consequences for PSG. “The future of the club and the club’s management” depend on it, wrote The Parisian. Real Madrid is considered the “royal” dream goal of the 24-year-old – especially since Mbappé should have noticed in Munich at the latest that he cannot satisfy his longing for the handle pot with a PSG team in this form(ation). Once again, the club failed due to its poorly thought-out squad planning.
Lots of money, little return
Mbappé also admitted this. FC Bayern have “a team that is formed to win the Champions League. And as for us: this is our maximum!” Maximum? The Round of 16? That fit, but corresponds to the bitter reality of PSG.
Since a Qatari group of investors took over the club in 2011 with great fanfare and even bigger goals, the Parisian star ensemble has only made it to the final once (2020/0-1 against Bayern) and the semi-finals once (2021). Otherwise, in the past seven years, five times in the round of 16 end station.
A satisfaction for FC Bayern. “You can see that you can’t do everything with money alone, but that there is a lot of structure and development work involved,” said President Herbert Hainer in a good mood. Did he see this Messi? “Yes,” he scoffed, “I think it had the number 30, if I saw it correctly.”
How long world champion Messi will still wear the PSG dress? Not clear. Especially since hardly anyone believes in an improvement. “There is no reason why Paris should learn a lesson in 2023 that it hasn’t learned in the past ten years,” he said The team.
The obviously insufficient squad is not the problem, Galtier claimed, it was “balanced”. It is rather the case throughout the season that “important players are always absent”. This time it was Neymar, Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos and Nordi Mukiele – but also Mbappé, who had only made a short appearance in the first leg.
And now? “We will question ourselves and then return to everyday life,” said Mbappé, before leaving the arena with a grim expression – leaving many questions unanswered. (SID)
