This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Paris Saint-Germain. Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., Marco Verratti, Sergio Ramos, and others departed last summer, and PSG signed a host of young but talented players to replace them.
This season, PSG have defied the odds, and they have a comfortable lead at the top of Ligue 1 and are in the finals of the Coupe de France. Even more impressive is their run to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. When the group stage was announced, many likely bet that PSG wouldn’t advance to the knockout stage, given they had to play AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Newcastle United FC in the group of death. The club has improved as the season has gone along, and now, top online bookmakers available internationally offer great odds on the next PSG game, which happens to be against FC Barcelona in the Champions League. The reason for those great odds has to do with one player, Kylian Mbappé.
The Frech superstar is PSG’s go-to solution when they need a goal. Mbappé has an uncanny ability to break through defenses and score almost at will. He’s arguably the best player in the world and has led this inexperienced PSG side further in the Champions League than anyone predicted. But can he finish the job?
Getting past Barcelona won’t be an easy task, but Mbappé has led PSG past them in 2021 where he notably scored a hat trick. PSG hasn’t lost a match since early November, so all the momentum is on their side. Should PSG reach the semi-finals, they’ll face either Dortmund or Atletico Madrid, two teams they’ll also be favored against when the betting odds are released.
Unless Mbappé completely changes his mind, he will be wearing a Real Madrid kit next season. That’s what makes PSG’s run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League this season so special. PSG reached a final back in 2020, but Mbappé was injured and it was Neymar Jr. who was the leader that season. This is Mbappé’s team and he’s surrounded by many of his France national teammates.
If Mbappé can deliver a Champions League trophy in his final season in his home city, it will all but cement his legendary status. He’s the club’s all-time leading scorer and will likely win the Ballon d’Or. PSG will happily wish him well as he leaves for Real Madrid with the one trophy they’ve coveted finally in the trophy cabinet. In a few years, or after his retirement, PSG will likely build a statue outside of wherever stadium they end up going to in the future.
A lot is riding on Mbappé and PSG, and luck has never been more in their favor.
