Kylian Mbappé tells CNN Sport why he stayed with Paris Saint-Germain. But the question is: why did he stay at all?
Mbappé has had the opportunity to prove to everyone who doubted him, including his own coach, that he is the future of football. He could well have gone elsewhere.
Had his contract with PSG already been up?
Had he signed his contract at PSG? His agent then would have had a simple phone conversation with Mbappé. He would have explained the situation, and Mbappé would have accepted the situation as he would have accepted the position of a World Cup finalist.
It was, however, never to be.
PSG had not offered a contract proposal by then. Instead, the club had asked Mbappé to consider extending his current deal until 2021, and perhaps even beyond. Mbappé, though well aware that the offer was not on the table, agreed.
And then what?
The answer is three-fold.
Mbappé needed to be assured of being able to sign a new contract. It would have been pointless to play on. He had a contract, but the club were still not quite sure.
Mbappé had to remain for the sake of the club. The club were desperate to have a player of Mbappé quality at the club.
He had to be in Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappé is one of four players to win all six major awards in the last six years.
The others to win them were Luka Modric, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Gareth Bale.
You only need to look at the list to see why he is considered the “next Wayne Rooney”.
The other three are the best in the world at their respective positions, or in some cases, in a different position (Cavani