French football champions Paris Saint-Germain have been ordered to pay former player Kylian Mbappe 60 million euros (£52.6m) by a Paris court.
A Paris labour court found on Tuesday that Mbappe was due three months in unpaid wages, as well as an ethics bonus and a signing bonus, under his employment contract with PSG.
It was noted that the sums were recognised by the French Professional Football League (LFP) in September and October 2024, and that there was no evidence of an agreement showing that Mbappe had waived his entitlement to them.
Judges thus rejected the club’s argument that the 26-year-old French forward should forfeit unpaid wages entirely, but did dismiss his additional claims of concealed work, moral harassment and breach of the employer’s duty of safety.
Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Mbappe’s lawyer Frederique Cassereau said: “We are satisfied with the ruling. This is what you could expect when salaries went unpaid.”
In a statement, his legal team also said: “This judgment confirms that commitments entered into must be honoured. It restores a simple truth: even in the professional football industry, labour law applies to everyone.”
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PSG said in a statement that it “takes note of the ruling handed down by the Paris labour court, which it will comply with, while reserving the right to appeal”.
The statement added: “Paris Saint-Germain has always acted in good faith and with integrity, and will continue to do so.
“The club is now looking to the future, built on unity and collective success, and wishes the player all the best for the remainder of his career.”
Now playing for Real Madrid, Mbappe had taken PSG to court over earnings he said were withheld for April, May and June 2024 – before he left the club for Spain on a free transfer.
Lawyers for the striker argued he was owed more than 260m euros (£227m), and that his fixed-term contract should be reclassified as a permanent one.
Judges on Tuesday did not view Mbappe’s contract with PSG as a permanent one, which limited the scale of possible compensation.
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PSG argued that Mbappe had acted disloyally by concealing for nearly a year his intention not to renew his contract, and sought 440m euros (£385m) over damages and a “loss of opportunity” after he left on a free transfer.
In the last year of his contract, he was linked with a world record transfer to Saudi Arabian football club Al Hilal, which Sky Sports News reported at the time to be worth £259m.
PSG signed Mbappe on loan with a mandatory purchase option of 180m euros (£165.7m) from AS Monaco in 2017, making him the second-most expensive player and most expensive teenage footballer in history.
While playing for the Parisians, he won six league titles and scored 256 goals in all competitions, making him the club’s all-time top goal scorer.
