France captain Kylian Mbappe has said he will name his new club “in due course” after helping PSG win the Coupe de France in the final match of his seven-year stay with his homeland’s most successful side.
Striker Mbappe played the entire game as Paris beat Lyon 2-1 in the domestic final at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, where first-half goals by Ousmane Dembele and Fabian Ruiz meant Jake O’Brien’s 55th-minute reply proved only a consolation for OL.
“All I wanted was to finish well,” said Mbappe, who will not renew his contract when it expires this summer, via L’Equipe. “There is a time for everything. I will announce my new club in due course.
“We are very happy – this is a very important competition for us. It’s very emotional for all the supporters, the club, the players. Finishing with a trophy, in a final, feels good.”
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Mbappe said he and his team-mates had “time to think” before the final. “The nostalgia came back, the memories,” he reflected. “These are only good memories, at PSG, in Ligue 1. It is with my head held high that I leave.
“Nostalgia, emotion. I always took stock of where I was, of this unique experience of playing for PSG. I was lucky enough to experience it. What I had, I wouldn’t experience anywhere else. I’m going to experience something else and I’m sure [that] will be magical too.”
The 25-year-old leaves as PSG’s all-time record scorer, his 256 goals putting him 56 clear of next-nearest marksman Edinson Cavani. He has been their top scorer in every season since making his move from Monaco permanent for £166 million in 2018, including 47 goals in 44 appearances this season.
Previously a French champion in 2016/17 with his former club, Mbappe has won six Ligue 1 titles with PSG and the Coupe de France four times.
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Their best run in the Uefa Champions League was an appearance in the final in 2019/20, losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich as their wait to become European champions for the first time went on.
PSG were surprisingly beaten by Bundesliga also-rans Borussia Dortmund in this season’s Champions League semi-finals, losing both legs 1-0.
Mbappe would not be drawn about whether he will reveal where he will be playing next season before joining his national side for their Euro 2024 campaign, which begins against Austria in Dusseldorf on June 17.
“The best thing to do is to finish saying goodbye,” he explained. “There are still details. The most important thing was to win, to experience these last emotions.”
