A French court has ruled that Paris St-Germain must pay former forward Kylian Mbappe €60m (£52.5m) in unpaid salary and bonuses after a lengthy legal battle.
The case was reopened in November when a Paris labour court heard Mbappe requested €263m (£231.5m) from his former club. Meanwhile, PSG sued the France captain for €240m (£211m).in return.
The 26-year-old, now a Real Madrid player, alleged damages from a contractual dispute and what he called unjust treatment during his final months at the club. On Tuesday, the court granted him slightly more than a fifth of what he sought.
Judges decided that PSG did not pay Mbappe three months’ salary between April and June 2024, as well as an ethics bonus and signing-on bonus specified in his contract. Most of the awarded amount is for unpaid bonuses rather than wages.
In May, PSG’s accounts were frozen at the request of Mbappe’s legal team for ,€55m
We are satisfied with this decision. This is what would be expected in cases of unpaid salaries, said Mbappe’s lawyer, Frederique Cassereau.
His legal team, in a statement, added that the ruling affirmed the need to observe contractual obligations, noting that the labour law was no different in professional football. They claimed that during his seven years at the club, Mbappe had honoured his sporting and contractual responsibilities to the latter.
PSG said it was happy with the decision but has not ruled out an appeal. The club had sought compensation related to an unsuccessful EUR300m bid by Mbappe to Saudi club Al-Hilal in 2023. A year later, he transferred to Real Madrid on a free transfer.
The club announced its intention to note the judgment and retain the right to appeal, saying it had always acted in good faith and wished Mbappe the best.
The argument was driven by Mbappe’s refusal to renew his contract and his decision not to proceed to Saudi Arabia, which he believed resulted in marginalization. He was absent at PSG during the pre-season tour in Asia and the 2023-24 season-opening game, and was subsequently reinstated.
According to PSG, he returned after agreeing to forgo certain payments, a claim denied by his representatives.
Mbappe spent seven seasons at PSG, won 15 trophies, and became the club’s all-time top scorer with 256 goals in 308 games.
