By Kylian Mbappé (25) won his fifth successive UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award at Monday’s ceremony. However, he won’t win a sixth. The Frenchman officially announced his departure from Paris Saint-Germain last week ahead of a highly anticipated move to Real Madrid, a move that he previewed in his acceptance speech.
Mbappé beat the likes of Stade Brestois’ Pierre Lees-Melou to win the title. It comes after a turbulent season for the France captain, who at the start of the season, was ostracised and placed in the loft at PSG. However, he quickly made up for lost time, netting an impressive 27 goals in 29 appearances in Ligue 1. That form will once again earn him the Golden Boot and it has also earned him the highly-coveted player of the season award.
However, there was an overwhelming sense of dénouement at the ceremony. This will be his last trophy as a PSG player and as Mbappé said, “a page is turning”.
“A page is turning. A chapter in my life is closing. You can prepare all you want, but when the time comes, it still means something. Ligue 1 has always had a special place in my life. I have always honoured and tried to be a worthy representative of the league, to bring it to the top level,” began Mbappé, who has been the poster boy of the French league, especially in the wake of the departures of Lionel Messi and Neymar last summer.
“I’ll leave with my head held high, having done everything I could but I couldn’t have done it without the clubs that I played for, firstly AS Monaco and then of course PSG […] I’m going to miss it. A page is turning in my life. I’m very excited by what is to come but that is something else. Today, I am here to say thank you and repay the trust that I have been shown. It has been a long path and I am very happy to have played a part in the league’s history,” added the soon-to-be Real Madrid player. His move to Los Blancos has not yet been confirmed but it is only a matter of time.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
