It was thought that Kylian Mbappe would surpass the shadow of Messi and Neymar, shining as the biggest star of PSG in the 2023-2024 season, with the pinnacle being the Champions League. However, the dream of becoming champions remains unfinished.

This is PSG’s first season entering a new phase after deciding to end the ambitious project called the “galactic era” that lasted over 10 years without winning the Champions League. Messi and Neymar were the biggest names associated with this project, which cost a significant amount of money, and they both departed in the summer of 2023. Only Mbappe remained, in his final season to prove his worth as a superstar at the Parisian club.

Without Messi and Neymar by his side, Mbappe demonstrated his abilities with impressive numbers for PSG, scoring 43 goals and providing 10 assists in 46 matches so far in the 2023-2024 season. Compared to contemporaries like Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) and Erling Haaland (Man.City), the 25-year-old French striker possesses all the qualities to step up as a deserving successor to the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the legends who bid farewell to European football.

In the French national team, Mbappe is considered the king, having won the World Cup in 2018 and finishing as runner-up in 2022, with a record of 12 goals in total in World Cups, winning the Golden Boot (scoring eight goals in the 2022 World Cup). With only the Champions League title remaining, Mbappe is almost certain to touch the Ballon d’Or trophy in 2024, a recognition of his status as a superstar for the French forward.

Mbappe led PSG to the Champions League semi-finals, whereas in the previous two seasons, with Messi, they were eliminated in the round of 16. However, when it came to the decisive moment of the championship dream, Mbappe disappeared. His eight goals in the Champions League this season, which put him at the top of the goal-scoring chart alongside Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), became meaningless.

In the two-legged Champions League semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund, a team that PSG had previously defeated 2-0 and drew 1-1 in the group stage, Mbappe surprisingly performed poorly and was very wasteful with goal-scoring opportunities. He only had 51 touches, made 22 passes with an accuracy rate of only 79%, and lost the ball 18 times. These are extremely poor statistics for a top striker who is expected to rise to superstardom. As a result, PSG suffered two 0-1 defeats against Borussia Dortmund. The German team capitalized on set-piece opportunities to score two goals, courtesy of Niclas Fullkrug (first leg) and Mats Hummels (second leg), winning the tie 2-0 and securing their place in the Champions League final for the first time in 11 years.

“In the Champions League, in decisive matches, you have to perform effectively both at home and away. In this aspect, Borussia Dortmund did better than us. When you score goals, you receive all the praise. But when that doesn’t happen, you have to accept the darkness and criticism,” Mbappe admitted.

Mbappe will conclude his seventh and final season at PSG after this campaign, once again missing out on the Champions League title. Perhaps, if Mbappe joins Real Madrid next season, this scenario could finally become a reality.