Labour court sides with player in long-running dispute with club
Paris Saint-Germain have been ordered to pay Kylian Mbappe more than €60m after a Paris labour court ruled in the forward’s favour in a long-running dispute over unpaid wages and bonuses at the end of his contract.
The decision, delivered on Tuesday by the Conseil de prud’hommes de Paris, relates to salary, bonuses and other payments Mbappe says were withheld in the final months of his PSG deal before his free transfer move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024.
Mbappe’s legal team said: “This judgment confirms that commitments must be honoured. It restores a simple truth: even in the professional football industry, labour law applies to everyone.”
PSG said they would comply with the ruling but reserved the right to appeal. In a statement, the club said it had “always acted in good faith and with integrity” and added that it was now focused on the future.
The court found PSG had failed to pay three months of Mbappe’s salary, as well as an ethics bonus and a signing bonus owed under his contract. Judges said the club had not produced any written agreement proving the player had agreed to waive those payments. Previous decisions by the French Professional Football League in late 2024 had already recognised those sums as due.
However, the court dismissed several of Mbappe’s wider claims, including allegations of moral harassment and concealed work, and rejected arguments that would have significantly increased compensation. Judges also ruled that Mbappe’s fixed-term contract could not be treated as permanent, which limited the damages PSG could pay.
The case stems from the breakdown of Mbappe’s relationship with PSG after he informed the club in 2023 that he would not extend his contract beyond 2024. The decision left PSG facing the prospect of losing their star player for nothing, despite having offered him the most lucrative deal in the club’s history in 2022.
PSG argued that Mbappe had acted disloyally by concealing his intention not to renew his deal for almost a year, preventing the club from arranging a transfer and causing major financial loss. They sought up to €440m in damages, including compensation for a “loss of opportunity” after Mbappe declined a €300m offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in July 2023.
Mbappe’s camp rejected those claims, insisting the case was strictly about unpaid remuneration and that PSG had never shown evidence of any agreement for him to forgo wages or bonuses. His advisers said he had fulfilled his sporting and contractual obligations “right up to the final day” and had tried to avoid court action for more than 18 months.
Mbappe left PSG as the club’s all-time leading scorer, with 256 goals in seven seasons. PSG went on to win the Champions League after his departure.
