The France forward will need to deliver in Dortmund on Wednesday in order to save his team from another humiliating exit
Here we go, then: The annual Paris Saint-Germain do-or-die-moment in the Champions League has arrived, but this time it's here earlier than usual. Traditionally, the tension for the French champions when it comes to their European hopes peaks somewhere in February or March, and generally ends with a capitulation of some sort.
This season, though, the nerves have kicked in before the turn of the year. Ahead of the final matchday of the group stages, PSG are yet to secure qualification for the knockout rounds. Their remit, though, is fairly clear: Win away at already-qualified Borussia Dortmund and they will be through, and as winners of the 'Group of Death' to boot. A draw might also be good enough depending on results elsewhere, while even a defeat might not cost them their place, though that feels unlikely.
Either way, a team that was as expensively-assembled as Luis Enrique's really shouldn't be in this position. Regardless of the talent available to the PSG boss, however, all eyes will be on one man to step up and ensure the week doesn't end with the whole of Europe once again enjoying the misfortune of the continent's great underachievers.
Despite all the rumours and bids, both accepted and rejected, Kylian Mbappe remained a PSG player during the summer of 2023. And while he remains he contracted to PSG, Mbappe's priority is to win the Champions League for his hometown club. On Wednesday, though, he will be charged with leading his side to the bare minimum — getting out of the group stage.
Getty ImagesWaiting for his iconic moment
Mbappe's history in the Champions League makes for mixed reading. The statistics suggest that he is, at 24, already one of the competition's most successful players. He has scored 43 goals, more than Wayne Rooney, Arjen Robben and Sergio Aguero, and the same amount as former team-mate Neymar. At his current pace, barring injury or sudden decline, he could touch Cristiano Ronaldo's all-time record of 140 goals in the competition.
But the Champions League isn't about the goals as much as the moments. It's about Steven Gerrard in Istanbul, Zinedine Zidane in Glasgow or Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in Barcelona. Mbappe, though, has never really had his signature Champions League performance since becoming a truly global star.
Certainly, his opening goal against Manchester City while leading the line for Monaco in 2017, a breakout showing that helped knock Pep Guardiola's side out of the competition, springs to mind. His hat-trick against Barcelona in the last 16 in 2020 wasn't bad, either. Since then, though, the French forward hasn't really put in a virtuosic display in the matches that matter most.
The majority of his European career to date has been dominated by his role in famous defeats, his lack of defensive effort in decisive games proving damning in a handful of high-profile exits.
AdvertisementKylian Mbappe PSG NantesParisian pledge
After PSG were handily beaten by Bayern Munich in last season's quarter-finals, Mbappe told reporters that Bayern "have a team built to win the Champions League" — something the Parisians lacked, even with Lionel Messi and Neymar alongside the 2018 World Cup-winner.
It served as a warning, of sorts. Mbappe was already flirting with Real Madrid ahead of a possible summer move, and so him lamenting the state of his current club was seen as a sign of an inevitable transfer.
But after Mbappe rejected a move to the Saudi Pro League during the transfer window — and Madrid failed to secure a deal themselves — the Frenchman was brought back into the squad. The main, although unspoken, condition for his return was to bring PSG European glory. It's something he has hammered home over the years; his dream is to win the Champions League for his hometown club.
Owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi and manager Luis Enrique have, in different ways, supported Mbapoe's claim. Although the manager acknowledged that PSG are perhaps "obsessed" with winning the competition, he confirmed that his club's aim is to win it. Al-Khelaifi has made no secret of his desire to lift the trophy — the one remaining piece of silverware missing from his cabinet after he bought the club over 12 years ago.
Getty'Group of Death'
Rumours of Mbappe leaving this coming summer have recently sparked up again, and so if this is his final chance to bring European success to the French capital, it's not been smooth thus far after they were drawn into the competition's 'Group of Death'.
PSG did start their campaign in relative comfort, keeping Dortmund at arm's length in a fairly routine 2-0 win at Parc des Princes. Things changed, though, with a visit to St. James' Park. Luis Enrique doesn't often make major tactical blunders, but he got his set-up badly wrong in north-east England. He played a 4-2-4 against Newcastle's meaty midfield ranks, and saw his team battered by not only three big men in the middle, but also the roar of 52,000 screaming Geordies. He could have few complaints about a 4-1 loss, although the manager did claim, bafflingly, that his team deserved a result.
Since then, consistency has been elusive. They battered AC Milan at home, before throwing a 1-0 lead away at San Siro to lose 2-1. Most recently, on matchday five, they were fortunate to scrape a 1-1 draw in Paris against injury-hit Newcastle. Eddie Howe's side turned in a masterful performance with a decrepit squad, but a harsh late handball decision gave PSG a 98th-minute penalty. Mbappe, of course, converted.
It all leaves them likely needing three points away at Dortmund to secure qualification. The German side have already advanced to the last 16, but will still want to win the group to avoid an unfriendly match-up. And so if PSG fail to win on the road again, then the permutations get a little complicated.
If PSG fail to win, they could see themselves sent home early. A Newcastle home win over Milan will mean PSG need three points. If Milan win that fixture, the Parisians can afford a draw. But for a side whose goals reach beyond the confines of the group stages, anything other than a win — even if they still advance — will feel like a failure.
GettyMixed form for Mbappe
This, of course, starts and ends with Mbappe — the man who has repeatedly promised to carry his team to European glory. And he has done about enough to give his pledge weight so far. The winger is having yet another prolific season, scoring 18 goals in 19 games in all competitions, while his assist numbers are also up.
His European stats aren't quite as convincing, though. PSG's vice-captain has found the net three times in five contests, with two of those goals coming from the penalty spot. The big games — those away defeats at Newcastle and Milan — have been some of his worst performances of the campaign. Mbappe didn't put a shot on target at St. James' Park, and was rendered largely anonymous at San Siro, a ghostly figure strolling around over the Milanese turf.
Opponents, it seems, have figured out how to keep him quiet. Without Neymar and Messi in the team, PSG are now easier to defend for Europe's elite sides. Previously, Mbappe was consistently offered one-on-one match-ups due to the amount of defensive focus that needed to be applied to his team-mates. But now, Mbappe is regularly surrounded whenever he gets the ball, forced to beat multiple defenders at a time — and often kicked before he gets the chance.
He is still seeing a lot of the ball, but rarely does he receive it in full stride with space to run into. It turns out, unsurprisingly, that it is easier to stop one superstar than three.