Former PSG director says he left the club because of Mbappé

Former Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has revealed that he left the club for the second time back in 2022 because of a contract extension given to Kylian Mbappé.

The Brazilian revealed this in a chat with RMC Sport that he could not stay at the club because of the contract extension given to then AS Monaco  academy graduate.

After running down his contract, Mbappé eventually fulfilled his dream of playing for Real Madrid as he joined the Galacticos as a free agent in the summer of 2024.

Mbappé signed a two-year extension at the end of the 2021/22 season, with the hope that he will help the club land the Champions League trophy, which has eluded them over the years. The closest they got before last season’s triumph was a 1-0 defeat against Bayern Munich in the 2020 edition of the money-spinning competition.

The former sporting director said the deal should never have happened at all, saying the star player should have left in 2021.

“He should have left because he wanted to leave. He wanted to leave, leave! That’s how I am. You can’t say, ‘No, please stay’, for me, that can’t happen.”

According to the report, after the extension at the Parc des Princes, Mbappé got extra powers within the club. At the time, it was reported that the deal would see the France captain have a say on recruitment. 

Leonardo further revealed that there were certain clauses in the contract that he didn’t agree with. This, he said, was part of his reason for leaving.

Two seasons after Mbappé’s departure, PSG went on to win the Champions League, playing beautiful team football that saw them spank Inter Milan 5-1 in the final.

According to Leonardo, Mbappé’s decision to remain at PSG wasn’t about money, adding that he stayed because he is Parisian, but he wanted to leave for Real Madrid.

Since joining the La Liga giants on a free transfer back in the summer of 2024, Mbappé and PSG have been locked in a legal dispute over unpaid wages and bonuses.