Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has finally addressed his long-running dispute with Paris Saint-Germain — and his reaction included a blunt six-word claim that has set social media ablaze. The French superstar left his boyhood club last summer after one of the most drawn-out transfer sagas in football history, but the fallout has continued in the courts rather than on the pitch.
Mbappe’s departure from Paris came with a financial twist. According to his legal team, the forward is claiming $65 million in unpaid wages and bonuses from PSG — a sum which includes the final third of his signing-on fee and three months of unpaid salary. Last month, a Paris court froze the funds from PSG’s accounts at the request of Mbappe’s lawyers.
The dispute traces back to the striker’s controversial 2022 contract extension, which had been publicly billed as keeping him at PSG until 2025. In reality, the deal was for two years with an optional third season. Mbappe informed the club by letter — less than two months after signing — that he would not trigger that option, effectively setting the clock ticking on his eventual free transfer to Real Madrid.
Faced with losing their $211 million signing without compensation, PSG placed Mbappe on the transfer list and left him out of the squad for their pre-season tour of Japan. He was briefly sent to the notorious “loft,” training away from the first team, before being reintegrated following what PSG described as a “gentlemen’s agreement.”
PSG maintains that Mbappe verbally agreed to forgo the $65m in question as part of that arrangement. His camp disputes that, arguing no written amendment was signed or submitted to the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) as required. The LFP initially ruled in Mbappe’s favor but later dropped jurisdiction, forcing the case into civil court.
What did Mbappe say?
In a wide-ranging interview with L’Equipe, Mbappe broke his silence on the matter, stressing that the case is about principle, not revenge. “It is my responsibility by right, it is labor legislation. The procedure gave the impression that I wanted to harm PSG. I signed an employment contract. I just wanted to get paid. I have nothing against PSG, I love this club, I have friends there. But it’s the only way to get what I’m owed, something I’ve earned by the sweat of my brow.”
Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid looks on
Then came his six-word claim, which quickly went viral: “I just wanted to get paid.” For Mbappe, the dispute is straightforward. “Whether you like it or not, it’s still a job. But I already knew that I didn’t get paid when I was at PSG. When the money doesn’t come in, you see it. I could have made a fuss while I was there, but I told myself it wasn’t worth it. But when you see that you don’t get paid, after a while, you have to react.”
