Mbappe responds to transfer talk by making PSG history
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
- 3 min read
Kylian Mbappe created PSG history by opening the scoring in the club’s Champions League encounter against Benfica on Tuesday, just hours after courting controversy as news that he wants to leave the club broke.
Mbappe’s desire to depart Parc des Princes less than six months after snubbing Real Madrid to sign a new two-year contract with the club is a story that has been bubbling for days only to explode on the morning of the vital Champions League encounter.
The 23-year-old pushed the noise to one side, however, as he converted a first-half penalty to open the scoring in the game after Juan Bernat had been fouled in the box.
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Mbappe’s penalty was the 31st Champions League goal he had scored for the club, carrying him one clear of Edinson Cavani at the head of the ranking.
It was his fourth Champions League goal of the season, having previously netted twice in a 2-1 win over Juventus and then again in the victory over Maccabi Haifa.
His first strike in the competition for the Parisiens was back in the 2017/18 campaign, when he scored on debut in a thumping 5-0 away win over Celtic.
Mbappe is presently on course for his best Champions League figures for PSG since signing for the club.
Kylian Mbappe for PSG in the Champions League
| Season | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23* | 4 | 4 | - |
| 2021/22 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| 2020/21 | 10 | 8 | 3 |
| 2019/20 | 10 | 5 | 6 |
| 2018/19 | 8 | 4 | 5 |
| 2017/18 | 8 | 4 | 3 |
Mbappe pushing to leave
Mbappe's goal arrived amidst a period of time in which he found himself firmly under the microscope following revelations that he wants to leave PSG.
He wants to depart because he feels that certain promises made to him by the club when he signed his new contract have not been kept. In particular, he feels constrained by the system of Christophe Galtier and is disappointed that he is having to play as a lone forward.
It is an incident that threatens to tarnish Mbappe's PSG story, yet there was little hint of unrest from the fans towards the player throughout this Champions League encounter.
