He became the second top scorer in the history of PSG. Author of a double, Saturday evening, against Saint-Etienne (3-1), Kylian Mbappé equaled Zlatan Ibrahimovic with 156 goals scored since his arrival in Paris in the summer of 2017. And while he is at the end of his contract next June and it is announced with insistence on the side of Real Madrid, the tricolor striker could be tempted to dethrone Edinson Cavani (200 goals).
Once again, Kylian Mbappé was the main architect of the capital club’s victory against the Greens. On a service from Lionel Messi, the former Monegasque deceived Paul Bernardoni for the first time to allow his team to equalize just before half-time. He did it again shortly after the break on a new pass from the Argentinian, coming back up to Ibrahimovic with his 156 achievements in all competitions in the Parisian jersey (in 205 games).
But he didn’t just score. He also turned into a decisive passer with a magnificent cross from the outside of the right foot deposited on the head of Danilo Pereira, which sealed the victory for Mauricio Pochettino’s men. At the final whistle, the Parisian coach did not fail to salute the performance of his striker. “It’s not easy to describe his performance. It’s amazing, wonderful. I’m proud of him,” said the former defender.
Edinson cavani in his viewfinder
For his part, Kylian Mbappé did not hide his pride in having equaled the Swede. “When you know what Zlatan did here, it’s symbolic. It means that I am in high standards. We are in a very closed circle. If there are no big problems, I will pass it,” he said. And he could do it quickly. But will he do the same with Edinson Cavani? The 2018 world champion is 44 goals behind the Uruguayan. And to surpass him, he will have to stay at least one more season in Paris.
And while his future is more or less uncertain, with his contract ending in four months, and his future seems to be taking shape at Real Madrid, which he wanted to join last summer, he said he was ready to enter a little more into the legend of the club, by surpassing Edinson Cavani. “There is still Edi. We’ll see how it goes. But being the top scorer in the history of PSG, you can’t spit on it. So we will see what will happen. But we have to continue because it has always been my goal to leave a trace in people’s memories, ”he said, opening the door to a possible extension.
Enough to give some hope to the leaders, who have been desperately trying to extend it for several months, but also to the supporters, who showed him all their affection with a banner unfurled in the Auteuil stand (“De Bondy à Paris Kylian ton history is being written here”, editor’s note) and a huge stading ovation when it came out. “It’s nice to have the affection of the people, the affection of the supporters. I think we also play for this kind of thing. (…) I think that leaving an imprint in people’s memory is also part of marking history, this visual memory, giving emotions, creating a link… It touches me a lot, it makes me happy and I also thank them for that”, he rejoiced.
Suspended, the weekend, next in Nice, Kylian Mbappé will try to settle alone in the 2and pass from the ranking of the best scorers in the history of the Parisian club and to get closer to Cavani, on March 9, in 8and final return of the Champions League on the ground of… Real Madrid.