A Paris labor court ruled on Tuesday that Paris Saint-Germain must pay more than 60 million euros to Kylian Mbappé in a dispute over unpaid wages and bonuses linked to the end of his contract before his 2024 move to Real Madrid.
Court rules PSG must pay more than $70M to Mbappé in wage dispute
PSG striker Kylian Mbappe, right, and PSG president Nasser Al-Al-Khelaifi attend a press conference Monday, May 23, 2022 at the Paris des Princes stadium in Paris.
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Lawyers argued before the Conseil de prud'hommes de Paris last month. The court sided with the player amid accusations of betrayal and harassment surrounding the breakdown of their relationship.
PSG was seeking 440 million euros from Mbappé, citing damages and a "loss of opportunity" after he left on a free transfer.
Harassment accusations
When he accused PSG of moral harassment, Mbappé denounced the 'lofting' he claimed to have been subjected to at the club. The term lofting is used in France to describe isolating a player from the main squad for sporting, administrative, or disciplinary reasons.
His relationship with PSG ended amid deep tensions, as the club felt let down after offering him the most lucrative contract in club history when he signed a new deal in 2022.
Mbappé stunned PSG a year later by informing the club he would not take the option for an extra year. With his contract effectively in its final year, PSG needed to sell Mbappé to avoid losing him for nothing at the end of it. Mbappé had joined PSG from Monaco for 180 million euros in 2017.
After telling the club he would not extend, Mbappé was left off a preseason tour to Japan and South Korea and forced to train with fringe players. PSG said it would rather sell him than let the player leave for free in 2024, but he rejected a move to Al-Hilal.
PSG left Mbappé out of the opening league game of that season, but he soon returned to the lineup following talks.
PSG denied accusations of harassment or pressure, stating that Mbappé took part in more than 94% of the official matches of the 2023-24 season "with all sporting decisions made by a coach who is now a Champions League winner — and that he always worked in conditions compliant with the Professional Football Charter."