Since Saturday, PSG supporters have been celebrating. And the tenth title of champion of France in the history of the club, officially raised after the festival against FC Metz (5-0), is not for much. No: what delights Parisian hearts is the extension of Kylian Mbappé, now linked until 2025 to the capital club. A small miracle, as his signature at Real Madrid seemed acquired. But it’s not just PSG fans who should be happy.
“I am very happy for the club, for Nasser, because he succeeded in his mission. It was his battle horse, a declared objective. If there is no Nasser, there is no longer Mbappé at PSG”, greets first Luis Fernandez, ex-player and coach of the club. He pursues : “It was neither the coach nor the sporting director who convinced Mbappé. Nasser managed to turn the delicate situation around, in the right direction. Congratulations to Nasser, congratulations to PSG for keeping Kylian Mbappé.”
And if Luis Fernandez is so happy about this extension, it’s not only because “Kylian is a child from the Paris region who grew up with PSG, a symbol”. For the beIN sport consultant, seeing a player of Mbappé’s caliber deliberately choosing to stay in Ligue 1, at his age, is a sign of the championship’s good health: “He took on another dimension. Now he has chosen PSG, for French football, it’s a good thing because he is a player with exceptional qualities and potential, which he will be able to continue to demonstrate in the French championship.. And the former French international to sum up his thoughts: “It shows that Ligue 1 has changed in dimension”.
A speech that we had already heard at the respective arrivals of Neymar and Messi, with the difference that the latter two did not have the 23 years of Mbappé when they signed, and that they had already proven everything. Mbappé, he has decided to continue to prove in France, in particular by seeking the first Champions League in the history of PSG. “If Mbappé continues like this, he can get the Golden Ball, the Champions League, etc… It will benefit everyone”believes Luis Fernandez.
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Already mentioned on the arrivals of Neymar and Messi, the theory of runoff football version is therefore back. In short: keeping Mbappé at PSG will benefit all of French football, by increasing the value of the championship and its TV rights. A speech to put into perspective since the current contracts (domestic and international) run until 2024.
To have an effect on the next tenders, Mbappé will still have to be Parisian during the 2023-2024 season. If so, Luis Fernandez thinks it “will benefit everyone”on condition that “the authorities ensure that the money generated helps other clubs to manage themselves better, to avoid new cases like Saint-Etienne and Bordeaux this year”.
Apart from the worldwide influence of the L1, the possible financial gains, and the pleasure of the eyes for all the regulars of the Ligue 1 stadiums – which is not nothing -, the tour de force of the PSG also reinforces the credibility of football. French. Because refusing Real Madrid is not given to everyone.
This underlyingly accentuates the attractiveness of the L1, analyzes Luis Fernandez: “It can make other stars want to come, even if the drop-off points outside of PSG are very limited: Monaco, Marseille, Nice, Lyon. These clubs must stay at the top, grow, to get closer to the level of PSG which pulls them up. Finally, a PSG with Kylian Mbappé legitimately has a better chance of winning the Champions League, which wouldn’t hurt the French UEFA index.