Football star Kylian Mbappe has achieved a partial victory in court, forcing Paris Saint-Germain to pay back wages and bonuses, although the final amount falls short of his initial demands. The French club must make the payment even if it files an appeal.

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The Paris Labor Court issued a ruling this Tuesday that directly impacts the coffers of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), ordering the club to pay the back wages owed to its former star striker, Kylian Mbappe. This judicial decision comes after a protracted dispute that intensified after the player's departure to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024. Although the footballer claimed a total of over €260 million, the court determined that PSG must cover the back wages and bonuses amounting to approximately €55 million.

The figure increases to €61 million, equivalent to more than $70 million, when vacation pay is included, according to the calculation detailed by the French striker's lawyers. The significance of the ruling is that the court imposed its provisional execution, meaning that PSG is obligated to make the payment immediately, regardless of whether it decides to appeal the sentence, something that is highly likely given the amount involved. In a statement sent to the media after the ruling, PSG neither confirmed nor ruled out an appeal. It simply stated that it will execute the penalty and "reserves the right to appeal." The club insisted that it "has always acted in good faith and with integrity and will continue to do so." Furthermore, the Parisian club stated that it "looks from now on to the future, founded on unity and collective success, and wishes the player all the best for the rest of his career." The scope of the ruling and legal reactions: The club, chaired by Nasser Al Khelaifi, saw its €450 million counterclaim dismissed by the court. PSG argued that Mbappe's behavior had been "disloyal".He knew of his intention not to continue after the 2023/2024 season, but supposedly did not communicate it in time. The legal battle between one of the biggest figures in world football and his former employer has reached a clear resolution that highlights the growing contractual tensions in elite football. Mbappe's legal representatives were satisfied even though the court did not award them the full amount they demanded. The footballer's lawyer, Delphine Verheyden, expressed her relief upon leaving the court: "We have been claiming the payment of the wages owed to him for 18 months, and this is what we have obtained." Verheyden recalled that PSG had disregarded previous rulings in favor of the player issued by the sports courts, and that the club was awaiting a decision from the labor courts. "Now they have it," she concluded.