Two years on from Kylian Mbappé's exit from PSG, how do things look for both parties?

Kylian Mbappé’s departure from PSG in the summer of 2024 signalled, in the eyes of many onlookers, the end of PSG’s reign at the top table of European football. Instead, it seems to have propelled the French side forwards – they’ve become European Champions while playing champagne football under Luis Enrique, all while Mbappé’s time in Madrid, while statistically impressive, has produced neither a Champions League nor a La Liga title.

At the end of contrasting weeks in which PSG have reached a second successive Champions League final while Mbappé has been at the heart of a dressing room bust-up that has generated global controversy, let’s have a look at what exactly has changed in both parties since that big move two summers ago.

Two years since Mbappé left PSG, how did both parties fared since?

First off, it surprised some that Mbappé stayed in PSG as long as he did. Many expected him to leave the French club in the summer of 2022. But, Mbappé – perhaps, some felt, against his heart’s desire, signed a two-year contract extension at the French club, which allowed him to play the 2023-24 season under Luis Enrique, as PSG reached the Champions League semi final. Mbappé had a good season under the Spanish coach, scoring 44 goals in all competitions, although behind the scenes footage of Enrique demanding that Mbappé work harder off the ball was perhaps the defining image of the Frenchman’s final season in Paris.

Mbappé’s eventual departure that summer was seen as a big blow for PSG, as their main goalscorer and arguably only superstar moved to a side who had just won their second Champions League in three years. Few could have anticipated the utterly ridiculous reversal of situation that took place in the 2024-25 season: PSG, under the tutelage of Enrique, went on the win the Champions League as part of a historic treble, spearheaded by a fluid front three of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé and Desiré Doué, all of whom were lauded for their pressing and defensive workrates – the very traits that are the biggest weaknesses of Mbappé’s game.

As for Mbappé, he had a statistically strong first season in Spain, once again scoring 44 goals in all competitions, but Real Madrid went trophyless – with the exception of the UEFA super cup and the FIFA intercontinental cup – amidst rumours of tension between the Frenchman and his attacking teammates, specifically Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.

These tensions have reportedly not improved this seasons, which things reaching boiling point last week when it was reported that many of Madrid’s players are unhappy with Mbappé’s status within the club, with his trip to Italy going down badly among his teammates. It’s safe to say that these rumours should always be taken with a pinch of salt, but it is true that last week’s training sessions saw two Madrid players, Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouameni, come to blows – with the former ending up in hospital.

It’s a stark contrast from the harmonious atmosphere that has reigned in Paris ever since Mbappé’s departure. At yesterday’s Ligue 1 awards at which Ousmane Dembélé won the player of the year award, the team seemed in fine spirits, laughing and joking with each other. It’s impossible to say whether this is as a result of Mbappé’s departure, and there are undoubtedly more factors at play, but it certainly has been a move that for now seems to have benefited PSG far more than either Kylian Mbappé or Real Madrid.

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