Kylian Mbappé is expected to be crucial to PSG's comeback attempts in their Champions League last 16 second leg against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, as the French club seek to avoid further disappointment on the European stage.
Despite millions being thrown at the club's transfer strategy over the past decade, they have been unable to taste European glory, with just one final appearance in 2020 ending in defeat to Wednesday night's opponents.
Mbappé has been perenially linked with a move away from Paris in recent years, with the club's lack of success in the Champions League only adding to the speculation surrounding the French forward.
Ahead of Wednesday night's game, Mbappé denied that he is looking for a move away from the Parc des Princes - though his choice of words in explaining this decision could be described as, at best, unfortunate, as he seemed to take an inadvertent swipe at the club's lack of European success.
Kylian Mbappé: PSG forward makes unfortunate remarks about own club
The reports linking Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid simply will not go away, with the 24-year-old French maestro at the midst of one of modern football's great transfer sagas. He seemed on the verge of a move to the Bernabeu last summer, before stunning the Spanish media and choosing to stay at PSG.
He has remained pivotal to the Parisian's game plan this season and, off the back of a stellar World Cup, is once again in high demand from Europe's top clubs ahead of the summer transfer window.
Kylian Mbappé celebrates scoring for PSG v Strasbourg (Photo: Shutterstock)
PSG have displayed an inability to see out the big games in recent years in the Champions League, with Mbappé frequently working miracles up top only to be let down by the failures of the team around him.
Ahead of Wednesday night's pivotal second leg tie against Bayern Munich, Mbappé assured reporters that he would be staying in Paris - but appeared to take an unfortunate dig at the club's issues in Europe's biggest competition. He said that his future would not be defined by Wednesday's result, before saying that he would have left "a long time ago" if he had let the Champions League define his decision making:
If I linked my future to the Champions League, without wishing to show a lack of respect to the club, I would have left a long time ago. I don't think this match will have an impact. I am here and I am very happy to be here. I am not thinking about anything other than making PSG successful.
It may have been a slip of the tongue from Mbappé, but it speaks volumes about PSG's issues in the European Cup.
In 2019, an inexperienced Manchester United side came from 2-0 down to knock PSG out on away goals, while the blue half of Manchester provided a similar punishment to a hotheaded PSG in 2021. Last year, even the brilliance of Mbappé in both Paris and Madrid could not stop Real Madrid from overturning a 2-0 deficit to knock the French side out of the tournament.
Each year, PSG enter the Champions League as one of the favourites - thanks, in no small part, to the presence of Kylian Mbappé. And each year, they have disappointed. With the riches at their disposal, one wonders how much longer the Frenchman will choose to stick around if the pattern continues.
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