MBAPPE DEAL A TITANIC POWER SHIFT IN EUROPEAN FOOTBALL
Sunday 22nd May by Tom Ball
Friday Twitter murmurings from respected journalists were the first signs of a concrete decision from Kylian Mbappe. Reminiscent of Lebron James' decision in 2010 to 'take his talents to South Beach' - the football world waited for the star with the world at his feet to give news on his future.
His intention to run down his contract and confidence within the media and Madrid itself convinced everyone that the French Forward was Real Madrid's next Galactico. Thirteen years after they signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.
The departure of Ronaldo in 2018 presented a new challenge for Club President Florentino Perez and Los Blancos. When and with who does the new era begin? While Karim Benzema's (34) form has led Real to the Champions League final this season, the striker is in the twilight of his career and will need someone to pass the torch.
Luckily for Real Madrid, the game's next biggest star, the boy who was the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since Pele himself - had a contract that was winding down and a dream to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo.
It seemed meant to be; Paris Saint-Germain's complete dysfunction was something that seemed very easy to run from. Their collapse in the Champions League was all too familiar, and their poorly conducted recruitment never did them any favours in attempts to keep their newly crowned star.
Real Madrid, still managing to get to club football's biggest game, seemed like they could do with Mbappe, and Mbappe could do with them.
The phrase 'you never know, it's football' is usually reserved for stuff on the pitch, but it seems perfect this time. In a historic U-turn - PSG announced Mbappe's extension with the club and the fallout, reported numbers he'll be paid, and the reaction from the rest of football has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Over a year ago, several of Europe's most powerful football clubs, including the Premier League's 'big six', announced the first proposals for a European Super League. Paris Saint-Germain was one of the club's that refused to participate in the competition.
At first many praised them and other excluders Bayern Munich for staying loyal to the wider footballing pyramid. However, PSG's ownership, relations, and interest make you realise the real reasons behind their decision not to join.
PSG's ownership has strong links to the Qatari state. President of the club Nasser Al-Khelaifi is a significant player in Qatari business and Chairman of broadcasting superpower beIN Sports Media.
Qatar is, of course, the host nation of this year's World Cup finals, a FIFA sanctioned event. Joining a European Super League would fracture Qatar's relationship with football's governing bodies and throw a blanket of tension over their hosting of the tournament.
This has led to a strengthened relationship between Qatar, UEFA/FIFA and Paris Saint-Germain.
The news was met with an instant complaint filed by La Liga regarding the deal's finances. PSG have posted 100s of millions in losses over the last several years without any explicit punishment.
We must remember that Qatar's extremely controversial awarding as the host nation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup happened 12 years ago now. This relationship has existed for over a decade, and FIFA has never shown any interest in compromising that relationship, even though modern slavery and worker death scandals surrounding the tournament.
Following on from this, if PSG lost possession of the game's future star in a year when Qatar is going to be hosting the World Cup finals, it would be catastrophic for Qatar's footballing plans in the future.
Therefore, the French club were so financially persistent in keeping Mbappe that other leagues were questioning the financial legitimacy of the deal that they managed to keep hold of their man. The reported terms of the agreement are extraordinary. They will undoubtedly make him the highest-paid footballer in history, even over the reported terms of Lionel Messi's Barcelona contract that included extortionate bonuses.
There is no way UEFA financial regulations are designed to allow for PSG to pay Kylian Mbappe this much money a year and provide him with a reported 9-figure signing-on bonus.
La Liga, to their credit, forced Lionel Messi out of their league due to FC Barcelona's repeated years operating at a loss, primarily due to the astonishing amount of money they were spending on keeping Messi at the club.
This was the first huge casualty in La Liga's financial regulation reform, which meant that clubs had to justify their spending through their revenue. If you did not meet La Liga's criteria, you would have sanctions that would likely affect the wage structure. This led to FC Barcelona having to release Lionel Messi.
It is not within Ligue 1's best interest to exercise similar regulations on PSG themselves. UEFA ranks their league the fifth best in Europe, and La Liga believes in Barcelona and Real Madrid's stature, with or without the jewels in their crown.
La Liga president Javier Tebas believes that the economic stability of football is being attacked. Whatever you think of Kylian Mbappe, the main issue is that he can sign a contract with these terms on it.
Some will point to Mbappe's decision on a personal level, and it will bring back similar criticisms during the exodus of relatively mediocre players leaving for lucrative contracts in China. The Chinese Super League brought in a regulation that prevented this from happening to the extent it was.
However, this is slightly different. Not only is Mbappe arguably the best player in the world, and he is also being offered this contract by one of the biggest and most competitive sides in Europe. Less than two years ago, he reached a Champions League final with them.
This presents a power shift in European football. Qatar's hosting of the World Cup finals, PSG's decision not to join a European Super League, and the questionable financial legality of a deal the size of Mbappe's aren't coincidences. PSG can financially operate in ways that Financial Fair Play is designed to stop.
In step La Liga, likely with some sour grapes involved, to question the legitimacy of this deal. Their argument is about the integrity of the European game; how can anyone keep up if PSG can get away with outlaying these ludicrous financial terms to just one player? It is likely to upset the balance of the entirety of European football's wage structure.
It is not clear how much Florentino Perez, Real Madrid President, has involvement in this official complaint. Perez will understandably have some sour grapes about this, and Real Madrid will likely feel like Mbappe's flirting has blindsided them.
However, Perez is adamant a Super League should still be happening and vows that it will return. Furthermore, Real Madrid has created a 'galactico' club culture that was made of them just buying the best players in the world.
The allure of the Santiago Bernabeu and those bright white shirts seem to be every top player's dream, and no success or loyalty is likely to stand in the way of it. However, PSG's reported terms have broken new ground.
Paris Saint-Germain has broken that allure. The team that managed to poach Ballon D'or and Treble winning Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United has now had a once-in-a-lifetime player say 'no' to them. For a club without a European Cup, but one with every reason to compete for one in the future.
Football is a game where most tend to fend for themselves. The game has been rife with financial corruption; Barcelona and Real Madrid have fallen under this umbrella. Unsurprisingly, La Liga decided to be proactive about these things when it has involved the game's next great not coming to their league.
However, PSG's reported willingness to give Mbappe control that runs through the entirety of the football club, including powers in selecting coaching staff and signing off on player transfers, is our first true sign of 'player power' in football.
In 2010, NBA star Lebron James famously 'took his talents to South Beach. His move from his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, to the Miami Heat to create a 'superteam', was the first sign of an era in basketball that saw a team operate based upon what its star wanted.
Football has never really been like this; the squads are bigger, each player means less to its team's success, and for many leagues, most notably the Premier League, the stars are the coaches. Not for Paris Saint-Germain, they stood back and said 'whatever Kylian wants'.
This comes weeks after the game's other next big star, Erling Haaland, agreed to join Manchester City. The two most prominent examples of new money and state ownership in football have tied down the game's future for themselves.
The La Liga complaint is one of the first tangible signs of Barcelona and Real Madrid's grip on football yielding. The embarrassment of the failed super league, the decline in La Liga revenues and the financial disaster at Barcelona have dimmed the Spanish Giants' star. All while Paris Saint-Germain has made themselves UEFA and FIFA's new favourite.