MY ACCOUNT
Kylian Mbappe can become the best player in the world after renewing his contract at Paris Saint-German, said team-mate Ander Herrera.
A long-running saga lasting over a year was ended on Saturday when Mbappe rejected the overtures of Real Madrid to pen an extension at Parc des Princes until 2025.
It was a decision that took the football world by surprise with Mbappe having reportedly given his world to the Los Blancos hierarchy he would move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
The renewal is said to have included a €150million signing-on fee as well as having a say on areas such as the appointments of the sporting director and head coach, as well as player signings and sales.
For midfielder Herrera, though, the focus was just on the joy of retaining a superstar team-mate.
“We were happy today; it wasn’t the time to discuss it. We are happy for him, for the club and for the group,” he said in the aftermath of PSG’s 5-0 rout of Metz in their final game of the Ligue 1 campaign.
“He can become the best player in the world in a few years. So, we are happy for us, for him. We celebrated the title; we didn’t talk about it.”
Angel Di Maria’s time at the Parc des Prince has come to an end following the Metz triumph but the Argentine winger was similarly enthused by Mbappe’s decision to stay put.
“I am very happy for Kylian, he made the right decision to stay here,” said Di Maria, a former Madrid star.
“Paris is a great club, which continues to grow and can do great things. Kylian is close to reaching the 200-goal mark here, to make history. He made a perfect decision.”
