Mbappé wins legal battle: PSG must pay him 60 million euros

A Paris labor court on Tuesday ordered Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to pay nearly €60 million to soccer player Kylian Mbappé in unpaid salaries and bonuses, putting an end - at least in the first instance - to a long-running contractual dispute between the club and its former star.

The court decision follows a suit filed by Mbappé, currently a Real Madrid player, who was initially claiming some €263 million for various items arising from the final part of his contract with the Parisian club. PSG, for its part, had filed a counterclaim for around €240 million, alleging economic damages and unfair conduct by the player. All of the club's claims were rejected by the court.

According to the ruling, the PSG failed to pay Mbappé three months' salary between April and June 2024, in addition to an ethics bonus and a signing bonus stipulated in his contract. Judicial sources cited by the BBC point out that most of the sum awarded corresponds to bonuses and not base salary.

In May, at the request of the soccer player’s legal entourage, an amount of 55 million euros had been frozen from the club's accounts as a precautionary measure while the dispute was being resolved, the British public broadcaster reported.

"We are pleased with this decision. It is what you would expect when wages have not been paid," Mbappé's lawyer, Frédérique Casserreau, said in statements picked up by the BBC. In a subsequent statement, the player's legal team added that the ruling "confirms that commitments made must be honored" and that "even in professional soccer, labor law applies to everyone."

PSG reserved the right of appeal

Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, confirmed that it will abide by the decision, although it reserved the right of appeal. In an official statement referred to by the AFP, the club claimed to have acted "with good faith and integrity" throughout the process and wished "the best to the player for the rest of his career," while noting that it is now focused on the future and collective success.

The origin of the dispute can be traced back to Mbappé's decision not to renew his contract and refuse a million-dollar transfer to Saudi club Al-Hilal in 2023. PSG claimed that refusal thwarted a deal valued at up to €300 million and accused the striker of having concealed for months his intention to leave as a free agent.

The player, on the other hand, claimed to have been removed from the squad and excluded from the pre-season tour and the start of the 2023-2024 campaign as a form of pressure. The club argued that his subsequent reinstatement responded to an agreement whereby Mbappé agreed to forgo part of his emoluments, a version that the soccer player’s representatives described as "fantasy" during the hearing held in November.