Tag: Mbappé

Real Madrid’s signing of Kylian Mbappé won’t guarantee the LaLiga champions repeat last season’s title success, league president Javier Tebas has told ESPN.

Madrid finished 10 points clear at the top of the LaLiga table in 2023-24 — wrapping up the title with four games to spare — and have since strengthened by signing forward Mbappé on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, on a five-year contract.

That’s led some to question how competitive LaLiga will be next season, but in an interview with ESPN Mexico, Tebas denied that he has any concerns.

“A star arriving doesn’t always mean a team is better,” Tebas said. “There are other factors. [Toni] Kroos won’t carry on, Nacho [Fernández] won’t carry on either. Without Mbappé, they won the league with four games left and with Mbappé now, it doesn’t mean they’ll win the league with eight games left. That won’t happen.”

Madrid midfielder Kroos will retire this summer after concluding his participation with Germany at Euro 2024 — they face Spain in the quarterfinals on Friday — and former club captain Nacho has joined Saudi Arabia’s Al Qadsiah.

“After Mbappé, it’s hard [for others] to strengthen at that same level,” Tebas admitted. “You’ve still got [Antoine] Griezmann, [Robert] Lewandowski, Pedri or even [Lamine] Yamal, who are just below Mbappé.”

Barcelona, Madrid’s biggest rivals, have been limited in their ability to sign players in recent seasons by their finances, with a LaLiga-imposed salary cap over €500 million ($541.3m) below Madrid’s.

However, Tebas told ESPN that Barca are now closer to being in a position to spend on signings, including a possible deal for Spain and Athletic Club star winger Nico Williams.

Read Also: EURO 2024: Mbappe, Ronaldo face off as France, Portugal battle

“This is the year where they’re closest,” Tebas said. “They need to do a couple of deals and they can do it. The difference is there, their overall spend on wages is much lower … If they make up that difference, they could sign Nico Williams.”

The Spanish football federation confirmed its regulations for 2024-25 this week. They include the introduction of semi-automated offside technology, but LaLiga will continue to operate without goal-line technology, relying on VAR to identify whether the ball has crossed the line.

LaLiga is the only one of Europe’s “big five” leagues not to use goal line technology — unlike the Premier League, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 — a position Tebas has consistently defended.

“Goal-line technology isn’t perfect,” Tebas told ESPN. “No technology company has corrected me. You only have to search on Google to see the errors that [goal-line technology] has made.

“You can have doubts about a goal in three games out of 480. VAR solves two of those three, and the technology isn’t perfect either, if it was perfect, we’d have it. We’re looking at adding an additional camera, but I didn’t miss it, and we won’t have it next year.

“Of three situations like that, two are resolved by VAR… There’s no chip that covers the entire ball, that doesn’t exist. The rules say it’s a goal when the whole ball crosses the line. And where is the chip? It can’t be perfect, because it doesn’t cover the whole ball, just one part.”

Kylian Mbappé’s lawyers have sent a final notice to Paris Saint-Germain to request that the club pay the wages that he believes they owe him, a source has told ESPN.

The notice arrived at the club’s offices in Paris last week. Mbappé, 25, believes that the club owes him almost €100 million ($106.8m) in unpaid wages and bonus payments.

A source confirmed to ESPN that the French champions are yet to pay him his April, May and June salaries, as well as his February bonus.

PSG believe that the player agreed in August to write off some of the money that he was due in order for the club to reduce the financial impact of his departure at the end of his contract in June, a source said.

However, a source added that there was no written and signed version of this agreement and that this is at the heart of the dispute. PSG, who do not intend to respond to the formal notice, plan to act on what they believe was agreed.

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Sources said that Mbappé is of the opinion that PSG’s decision to not play him regularly from February to May after he told them he was leaving the club cancelled their agreement and that he wants all the money that he says he is owed.

It is thought that it may be necessary for both parties to argue their case in front of a tribunal in order to achieve a resolution.

The France captain spent seven years in the French capital before joining Real Madrid as a free agent on June 3.

The dispute with his former club was a factor that contributed to his comments on June 5 about being unhappy with PSG.

Mbappé said certain people at PSG made him “unhappy” in his first news conference since completing his move on a free transfer to Real Madrid.

Sources have told ESPN that PSG felt he was being “ungrateful” in his comments and added that the club will not reimburse him €80 million in wages and bonuses in an effort to recoup the money for his departure.

The last time Kylian Mbappé kicked a ball at the European Championship, it sent France out of the competition.

He was the only player to miss in a penalty shootout against Switzerland, and France was eliminated from Euro 2020 in the round of 16 in a game where they led 3-1.

Mbappé, who received hateful abuse online following the miss, is desperate to make amends at Euro 2024 in Germany.

“It was a slap in the face when we failed at the Euro,” the 25-year-old striker said earlier this month. “It’s a big stain on my CV in the national team. I’m in a vengeful mood.”

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France is in Group D, where it faces Austria on Monday, followed by the Netherlands on Friday and Poland on June 25.

Mbappé, the team captain, was missing from practice at France’s team based in Germany on Thursday but was back training with his teammates the following days.

“He took some rest but he’s not going to lose his physical condition just because he missed one or two training sessions,” France veteran Olivier Giroud said Friday. “He still has the same legs that we all know and the determination to achieve a great competition. So don’t worry he’s going to be ready for the first match.”

The last time Kylian Mbappé kicked a ball at the European Championship, it sent France out of the competition.

He was the only player to miss in a penalty shootout against Switzerland, and France was eliminated from Euro 2020 in the round of 16 in a game where they led 3-1.

Mbappé, who received hateful abuse online following the miss, is desperate to make amends at Euro 2024 in Germany.

“It was a slap in the face when we failed at the Euro,” the 25-year-old striker said earlier this month. “It’s a big stain on my CV in the national team. I’m in a vengeful mood.”

Read Also: Madrid move, ‘a dream come true’, says Mbappe

France is in Group D, where it faces Austria on Monday, followed by the Netherlands on Friday and Poland on June 25.

Mbappé, the team captain, was missing from practice at France’s team based in Germany on Thursday but was back training with his teammates the following days.

“He took some rest but he’s not going to lose his physical condition just because he missed one or two training sessions,” France veteran Olivier Giroud said Friday. “He still has the same legs that we all know and the determination to achieve a great competition. So don’t worry he’s going to be ready for the first match.”