Paris Saint-Germain’s former sporting director has urged he was ‘always against’ Kylian Mbappe’s lucrative contract extension at the Parc des Princes back in 2022.
The Ligue 1 giants, who were eager not to lose their superstar to Real Madrid that summer, offered Mbappe a never-before-seen two-year deal in order to convince him to stay, handing the forward control over board decisions and a wage worth approximately £4million per month, according to reports in France.
The contract did not stop Mbappe from leaving the French capital acrimoniously two seasons later however, as the World Cup winner opted against activating his optional extra year at the Parc de Princes and chose to sign with Real Madrid for free in July.
Since his departure, Mbappe has been locked in a legal dispute with his former employers, whom he claims owes £46m in unpaid wages and bonuses.
PSG confirmed they would be taking the matter to court after the French football league’s governing body (LFP) ruled in favour of Mbappe last month.
Paris Saint-Germain’s former sporting director Leonardo (above) has urged he was ‘always against’ Kylian Mbappe ‘s lucrative contract extension at the Parc de Princes back in 2022
Mbappe is locked in a legal dispute with PSG, claiming they owe him £46m in unpaid wages
Leonardo, pictured with the French superstar ahead of the 2021 Ballon d’Or ceremony, was against the extension because he believes a ‘footballer should never be bigger than a club’
Speaking on Mbappe’s contract renewal, which ultimately proved a disastrous financial decision after the France captain left Paris on a free transfer, former PSG sporting director Leonardo told Marca: ‘I was against it, especially at the level it was done. Always. From the beginning.’
‘I even think he was supposed to be sold at the end of the 2020-2021 season, when PSG had an offer from Real Madrid and he only had one year left on his contract.’
‘How can this situation be managed? If you lose a player it’s annoying, but the club is not going to die because of this.
‘What great institution collapsed after losing a player? None. It may take time, but you always recover. I have been a player, but a footballer can never be more important than a club.’
Leonardo, who starred for the Parisian club during his playing career, rejoined PSG as the club’s new director of football in 2011. He left for AC Milan in 2018 before returning to the French outfit in the same role a year later.
A PSG spokesperson, reacting to the LFP’s statement in favour of Mbappe in October, told Reuters: ‘What is in debate, and will ultimately be heard before an appropriate tribunal, is that the original contract was legally amended in August 2023 relating to the 2024-25 season, and also fully recognised by the player including in January 2024 – until the player then decided to renege all his commitments upon leaving the club.
‘As a matter of law and fact, the player has made clear, repeated public and private commitments that the club simply asks are honoured, with the player being afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over 7 years in Paris.
‘The club hopes these basic commitments will simply be respected, knowing that the club will be forced to have the player’s bad faith judged by the competent courts if the player regrettably seeks to pursue this incomprehensibly damaging dispute, for himself and for French football, further.’
Mbappe left Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid this summer, signing on a free transfer
Leonardo insists that a club will ‘always recover’ from losing a player, even if it takes time
Mbappe’s representatives were not immediately available for comment.
In January, Mbappe had said he made an agreement with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi which would ‘protect all parties and preserve the club’s serenity for the challenges ahead’.
