Its massive for French football that Kylian Mbappe decided to stay, proclaims Thierry Henry
French icon Thierry Henry has insisted that Kylian Mbappe’s decision to extend his contract at Paris Saint-Germain highlights his love for the French club in his heart and praised it as a positive influence for French football. The French striker signed a three-year contract extension last week.
Kylian Mbappe signed for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 as he became the most expensive teenager but the Frenchman has thrived despite that moniker. The now 23-year-old has cemented his status as one of the best attackers on the planet during his stint at the Parisian club as he scored 171 goals in 217 appearances.
However, over the last year or so, the World Cup winner has outlined his intentions of making a switch to Real Madrid when they materialized their serious interest by making multiple high-profile bids. The French club rejected the Spanish side’s advances and kept Mbappe in the hopes of convincing him to sign a renewal in the last year of his deal.
The 23-year-old was widely expected to reject the French club’s contract extension and join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer but Mbappe committed to fresh terms in a shock decision to stay at the club. The Frenchman signed a deal that will keep him at the club until 2025 and France legend Thierry Henry has welcomed Mbappe’s decision to stay in his own nation.
"Obviously, Kylian decided to stay. It's massive for French football. I thought he was going to go, I think everyone thought he was going to go, even including himself. Hopefully, that shows where PSG wants to go because normally, one thing is sure: when you play for a big club, you don't get away from a big club. When you're still in your prime, you don't leave. He decided to stay. He has the club, obviously, in his heart,” Henry told GOAL.
"People will talk about what he's going to get in terms of money and power but I would like to think that if you think that long about something, money would have come anywhere anyhow, wherever he went, but he wanted to stay,” he added.