A Paris labor court ruled on Tuesday that Paris Saint-Germain must pay more than €60 million ($70m) 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.
Lawyers argued last month before the Conseil de prud’hommes de Paris in a judicial saga involving colossal sums. The court sided with the player amid accusations of betrayal and harassment surrounding the breakdown of his relationship with PSG.
Mbappé’s lawyers claimed PSG owed him more than €260m ($305m), while PSG sought €440m from Mbappé, citing damages and a “loss of opportunity” following his departure on a free transfer.
The court’s ruling can be appealed and is unlikely to end the dispute.
Mbappé’s representatives stated that the ruling “confirms that commitments must be honored. It restores a simple truth: Even in the professional football industry, labor law applies to everyone.”
There was no immediate reaction from PSG.
The relationship between the 2018 World Cup winner and the reigning European champion soured when Mbappé opted not to extend his contract, which was set to expire in summer 2024, in 2023.
This decision deprived the club of a hefty transfer fee, despite having offered him the most lucrative contract in club history when he signed a new deal in 2022. He was sidelined from a preseason tour and forced to train with fringe players. However, he made a return to the lineup for his final season after discussions with the club—these talks are central to the dispute.
PSG accused Mbappé of backing out of an August 2023 agreement that allegedly included a pay reduction should he leave on a free transfer, an arrangement PSG claimed was meant to protect their financial stability.
PSG asserted that Mbappé withheld his decision not to extend his contract for nearly 11 months, from July 2022 to June 2023, which prevented the club from arranging a transfer and caused significant financial damage. The club accused him of violating contractual obligations and the principles of good faith and loyalty.
Mbappé’s representatives maintained that PSG never provided evidence that the striker agreed to forfeit any payments. His lawyers claimed the club failed to pay wages and bonuses for April, May, and June 2024.
“Mbappé scrupulously fulfilled his sporting and contractual obligations for seven years and right up to the final day,” his advisers stated on Tuesday. “He did everything possible to avoid litigation, even withdrawing a harassment complaint in a spirit of conciliation. In total, he had been seeking payment of his salaries and bonuses for more than 18 months.”
PSG denied all accusations of harassment, emphasizing that Mbappé participated in over 94% of matches in 2023-24 and always worked under conditions compliant with the Professional Football Charter.
PSG was seeking a total of €440m in damages, including €180m for the lost opportunity to transfer Mbappé after he declined a €300m offer from Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal in July 2023.
Mbappé joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer after scoring a club-record 256 goals in seven years at PSG, who won the Champions League that year without him.