A PARIS labor court on Tuesday ruled that Paris Saint-Germain must pay Kylian Mbappe 60 million euros in unpaid salary and bonuses, effectively ending one of the most intense disputes in French football.
Image / WorldFootball
The court's decision came after months of legal battles, as the French striker took the club to court over money he claimed had not been paid for the months of April, May, and June 2024.
This was just before he left the club to join Real Madrid on a free transfer. Mbappe's lawyer, Frederique Cassereau, said, "We're satisfied with the ruling.
This is what you'd expect when salaries go unpaid." The court found that PSG had not paid Mbappe for three months of his salary, an ethics bonus, and a signing bonus as outlined in his employment contract.
These amounts were confirmed as owed by two decisions from the French Professional Football League (LFP) in September and October 2024.
The judges also noted that PSG had not provided any written agreement showing Mbappe had given up his right to the money.
The court rejected PSG's claim that Mbappe should lose all unpaid wages, but also dismissed some of the player's other claims, such as allegations of hidden work, moral harassment, and breach of safety responsibilities.
The court did not consider Mbappe's fixed-term contract as a permanent one, which limited the amount of compensation related to potential dismissal and notice pay.
Mbappe's legal team said in a statement, "This judgment confirms that commitments must be honored.
It restores a simple truth: even in the professional football world, labor laws apply to everyone."
They also added, "Mr. Mbappe, for his part, fully respected his sporting and contractual obligations for seven years, right up to the last day.
"PSG had argued that Mbappe acted unloyally by keeping his decision not to renew his contract secret for almost a year, which stopped the club from getting a transfer fee similar to the 180 million euros they paid to sign him from AS Monaco in 2017.
Mbappe's representatives said the dispute was about strictly following French labor laws and unpaid wages, rather than transfer policies.