Before strolling the aisles of the Geneva watch fair on Thursday, April 11, Kylian Mbappé might perhaps have taken inspiration from the watch brand for which he is an ambassador to choose a better timing for his visit to Switzerland. The day after Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) lost the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final to FC Barcelona (2-3), the striker was spotted there, all smiles and visibly far removed from his worries of the previous day on the Parc des Princes pitch.
Some PSG fans were quick to point out the suburban-Paris native’s contradictions, by wheeling out the famous “eat well, sleep well” advice the striker gave to his teammates in February 2023, following his club’s defeat to Bayern Munich. It had seemed to be aimed at Neymar, who is regularly criticized for his frequent appearances at non-sporting events. One year on, it is Mbappé who is in the eye of the storm.
Having gone missing during the first leg, the 25-year-old striker will be eagerly awaited on Tuesday night for the return match against Barça at the Estadio Olimpico Lluís Companys. It is here – 600 kilometers from the Santiago-Bernabéu, where he is set to continue his career with Real Madrid – that Mbappé will possibly play his last European Cup match for PSG.
In Barcelona, two paths are open to PSG: that of the final four – which they have not reached since 2021 – and that of a new era, post-Mbappé, who will be jumping ship at the end of the season. The latter will begin as soon as the ultimate trophy – the Champions League – is no longer within reach. Once again, the “dream bigger” approach that PSG has been striving to apply since the arrival of the Qatari owners in 2011 would take on a new form.
‘If the team is better, the individuals will come through’
In recent years, time and again, the Parisian club has pictured itself lifting the prestigious “big ears” (the cup’s nickname, due to its appearance), with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Lionel Messi and then Mbappé leading the way. Tuesday is the class of 2023-2024’s last chance. “PSG are still the favorites,” said Barcelona coach Xavi after his team’s victory at the Parc des Princes last week. Nothing has been decided yet.
The outcome of this quarter-final second leg will inevitably depend on Mbappé’s performance and the version of himself that he presents to the Catalan public. The one from the first leg, and of the last few weeks – out of form with PSG and the French national team – will have little chance of advancing the Parisian club to the next round. The one that defeated Barça with a hat-trick at the Camp Nou in February 2021, much more so.
The striker that PSG fans have been clamoring for, a devourer of space and defenders, is not one that appears on command. Caught in a vice by the Blaugrana defense on April 10 and criticized for his poor performance, due to a slackness deemed to have been his fault, the number 7 was able to rely on the support of his captain, Marquinhos: “If he was less accurate this evening, it’s perhaps because the ball didn’t come to him at the right moment, with the right timing. […] If the team is better, the individuals will come through afterward.”
With the return of Achraf Hakimi, who was suspended for the first leg, the Parisian team is bound to be better. They will also be reinvigorated by a weekend spent preparing for the tournament rather than playing in Ligue 1 – the French league has opted to postpone its matches for all clubs still involved in the European Cup, to increase their chances of shining there. Meanwhile, Barça tried to rotate their squad in a 1-0 win at Cadiz on Saturday.
A few more weeks of adventure
Tipped as favorites for the double-header against the Catalan club at the time of the draw, the Parisians will have to do better than a good 15 minutes to start the first half – as was the case last week – to achieve their own “remontada,” seven years after the one they suffered at the Camp Nou on March 8, 2017. “We’re convinced we’re going to turn things around,” said PSG manager Luis Enrique on Monday, who has since moved to the opposite bench.
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Among them is Mbappé, who is experiencing his most contentious relationship with a manager since he arrived in Paris in 2017. Already PSG’s all-time top scorer, the athlete has never hidden his desire to gift the club its first Champions League crown. “I see him as very motivated, like the whole team. It’s time to show that we are ready, and change the result of the first leg,” said Hakimi.
But his PSG has had mixed results in the prestigious European Cup, with major disappointments in the round of 16 against Manchester United (2019) and Real Madrid (2022), the second leg semi-final the injured striker missed against Manchester City (2021) or his disappointing performance in the final against Bayern Munich (2020).
An elimination on Tuesday at the hands of Barcelona is something the club will eventually accept. It does so every year and is now accustomed to deferring its wildest hopes to the following season. But if the story with Mbappé is to continue on for a while yet, before turning to the next big thing, it’s now or never.
