2 months ago
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€55m legal action cloud
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Kylian Mbappé will face his former club PSG for the first time in tonight’s Club World Cup semi-final. After joining initially on loan before PSG invested €120 million on a permanent deal in 2018, Mbappé enjoyed seven fruitful seasons in his hometown. The French international won six league titles with the Parisians and was awarded Ligue 1 player of the year on five occasions but failed to win the holy grail of the Champions League - PSG ironically achieved their main objective in the first season after Mbappé’s departure.
Mbappé’s move to Real Madrid was one of the most protracted in history but he finally moved to the Santiago Bernabeu last summer. The 26-year-old left on bad terms with PSG, launching civil action against former club with an accusation of harassment but it’s been widely reported that he’s withdrawn his legal complaint ahead of the Club World Cup showdown - but he still wants €55m in unpaid wages. It was a hugely disappointing campaign for Los Blancos as they relinquished their Champions League crown with Barcelona the dominant force in Spain, winning LaLiga. But Mbappé unquestionably enjoyed a successful individual campaign, breaking the record for most goals in a debut season at Real Madrid and we’ve analysed his attacking output as he prepares to face his former employers.
Kylian Mbappe: Real Madrid and PSG records compared
Firstly, Mbappé isn’t guaranteed to start against PSG with Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso facing a selection dilemma. Mbappé was hospitalised with gastroenteritis after Madrid landed in the United States and he lost over 6kg. Subsequently, Alonso hasn’t started his star man as he builds up to full fitness with Gonzalo impressing in a front two with Vinicius Jr. It remains unclear who will get the nod in New Jersey but Mbappé will be determined to make an impact against his former side, whether that’s from the start or off the bench. The Frenchman reached superstar status during his seven years in Paris, scoring 256 goals and providing 110 assists in 308 games. As the graphic below illustrates, Mbappé netted at an incredible rate of 0.93 goals per 90 and his assist numbers were also very impressive (0.4).
In total, Mbappe registered 1.33 goal contributions per 90, which highlights his incredible attacking output during his PSG tenure. Mbappé’s attacking numbers have dropped off slightly at Madrid, recording 0.95 goal contributions per 90. While he played across the front line in Paris, often preferring to come in from the left, Mbappé has almost exclusively been deployed as the central striker at Madrid with Vinicius occupying the left-wing spot last season. This has impacted Mbappé’s game considerably with his assist numbers dropping substantially as he was instructed to stay central and provide a goal threat. Mbappé’s scoring rate at Madrid remains very impressive and LaLiga is also a superior league to Ligue 1.
