The ninth time wasn’t the charm either. Kylian Mbappé will have to wait until his tenth attempt in the Champions League to be crowned European champion. Last summer, he left Paris to sign for Madrid. Behind that move was the dream that has always accompanied him: winning the Champions League. It was his obsession during the seven years he spent at his hometown club. And it remains so now, at the most successful team in the history of the competition.
The combination seemed perfect: the best footballer in the world arrived at the team that most easily wins the Champions League. However, the blow has been harsh. Mbappé ‘s first season at Madrid ended in Europe in the quarterfinals. Against Arsenal, the team surrendered the crown they won last season at Wembley. And so, Kylian‘s debut at the White House will be without Madrid among the top four in Europe, a place they had held consecutively since 202.
Mbappé came away from the elimination at the hands of Arsenal in a bad way. Not only because of the knock to his right ankle that forced his substitution with fifteen minutes left. The Bernabéu crowd was merciless with the Frenchman’s poor performance. The whistles were loud, and their anger with Mbappé was clear. It wasn’t the first game the number 9 had raised eyebrows in the stands. But this time, the murmurs gave way to catcalls.
Because of all the things that went wrong for Madrid, and there were many, Mbappé was one of the most important. Ancelotti made it clear in the pre-match press conference that the chances of a comeback lay in the number 9: “More than ever, we need his goals tomorrow.” And there was no trace of the danger Arsenal were supposed to resist through Mbappé. Not once was he able to shoot between the posts or threaten Raya. A dark, sad farewell to the Champions League. The worst version of him of the nine times he’s been left out of the competition, which continues to keep him awake at night.
The nine attempts
2016-17. Juventus in the semi-finals, Mbappé’s appearance in the Champions League was extraordinary. He was a 17-year-old kid. His debut was on September 27, 2016: Monaco 1 – Bayer Leverkusen 1. His team turned the Champions League on its head and reached the semi-finals, beating Guardiola’s first Manchester City in the quarter-finals. It was in the round of 16 where Mbappé shone, with goals in both the first and second legs. His run ended in the semi-finals: Juventus prevented Monaco from being Madrid’s opponent in Cardiff. In nine matches, Mbappé scored six goals. His first in the competition came in the 5-3 win against City at the Etihad.
2017-18. Real Madrid is in the round of 16. In their first year in Paris, an excellent group stage (five wins and one loss) didn’t prevent PSG from facing a hellish clash in the round of 16 against the champions, Real Madrid. Zidane‘s team rounded off the 3-1 defeat at the Bernabéu with a 2-1 draw at the Parc des Princes. Kylian scored four goals in that edition, all in the group stage, in a total of eight matches.
2018-19. Manchester United in the round of 16. A debacle. Top of their group, which included Liverpool and Napoli, PSG assumed their place in the quarterfinals after winning 2-0 in the first leg at Old Trafford. However, a handball detected by VAR in stoppage time turned the return leg into a tragedy for Tuchel’s PSG. Marcus Rashford scored the 3-1 from the penalty spot, effectively ending PSG’s and Mbappé’s path. As in the previous season, Kylian Mbappe scored four goals—one of them against Manchester United at Old Trafford—in eight matches.
2019-20. Bayern lost the final. The pandemic season was the one in which Mbappé came closest to being a European champion. With Neymar and Kylian as their stars, PSG reached the final. In Lisbon, they defeated Atalanta and Leipzig in a single match. But in the final, they fell to Hansi Flick‘s Bayern Munich thanks to a solitary goal from a Frenchman, Coman. The disappointment was tremendous for Kylian. He finished the Champions League with five goals, all in the first round. Against Club Brugge, he scored the first of his three in the Champions League. He played all 10 matches.
2020-21. Manchester City. Semifinals. That season marked Mbappé’s scoring record in the Champions League: eight goals in ten games. After leading PSG to the elimination of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the place in the final was up for grabs against Manchester City. However, a muscle injury four days before the return leg prevented him from participating in the comeback attempt from the 2-1 deficit in the first leg. Without Kylian, PSG lost 2-0 at the Etihad and were eliminated from the final.
2021-22. Real Madrid is in the round of 16. A demanding group stage, with Manchester City leading the way, and a repeated draw due to a UEFA error condemned PSG to face Real Madrid in the round of 16. In Paris, where Messi missed a penalty, Mbappé decided the outcome with a late goal. At the Bernabéu, he was received like the signing that was taken for granted. He scored three goals, but VAR ruled out two. All of that, before the madness of a night that ended with Alaba taking his place and Madrid reaching the quarterfinals. Mbappé once again said goodbye to the Champions League before spring. He closed out the competition with six goals in eight games. In May, he renewed his contract with PSG.
2022-23. Bayern is in the round of 16. They suffered another defeat in February, in the first leg. Two group stage draws against Benfica left PSG in second place on goal difference. The unfavorable draw paired the Parisians with Bayern. Without a goal from Mbappé, the Bavarians secured their place in the quarterfinals with 0-1 and 2-0 wins. Kylian’s tally remained at seven.
2023-24. Borussia Dortmund, semifinals. Up to six times, between the first and second legs of the semifinals, Mbappé and Luis Enrique‘s PSG crashed against the posts. Their attacking output was zero, while Borussia Dortmund scored a goal in each match: Füllkrug and Hummels were the executioners. The final against Madrid was for the Germans. On May 7, 2024, Mbappé ‘s Champions League career with PSG came to a close. He had 64 matches and 42 goals under his belt. But he didn’t achieve his ultimate goal: becoming a champion. That’s why he signed for Madrid.