PARIS: Kylian Mbappe scored in his final home appearance as a Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player earlier this morning but the French champions suffered a shock 3-1 defeat against Toulouse on the night they lifted the Ligue 1 championship trophy.
Mbappe confirmed in a video posted on social media yesterday that he will leave PSG when his contract expires at the end of this season, ending seven years at the club.
Real Madrid is expected to be the next destination for the player whose departure from Paris has been no longer a secret since last February, if he personally announced to the club his desire to move.
Mbappe covered the captain’s arm and opened the scoring early against Toulouse to take his tally to 44 goals in all games this season.
However, Thijs Dallinga deservedly equalized for the visitors against PSG who made 10 changes compared to a team knocked out by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals mid-week, with Mbappe the only player to keep his place.
Yann Gboho put Toulouse in front with a stunning goal in the second half and Frank Magri completed the win in injury time as PSG suffered only their second Ligue 1 defeat of the season and their first in 27 games since last September.
Mbappe has now scored 256 goals with PSG, a club record since joining from Monaco in 2017 in a deal worth 180 million euros.
His total of 190 goals scored in the French top flight – including 16 with Monaco at the start of his career – puts him seventh overall on the all-time list.
Coach Luis Enrique considered the 25-year-old “a club legend” when speaking to the media.
“I heard the applause, the fans gave him the respect he deserves, he is a club legend even though he is still young,” said Enrique.
PSG can still finish the season by completing the domestic double if they face Lyon in the French Cup final in Lyon on May 25.