A Paris labor court has ruled in favor of Kylian Mbappe, requiring Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to disburse €60 million (approximately .6 million) in unpaid salary and bonuses, thus addressing a contentious dispute that has cast a shadow over French football. This decision, rendered on December 16, 2025, marks a significant victory for the French striker, who recently transitioned to Real Madrid following his departure from PSG.
The legal battle escalated after Mbappe claimed that PSG withheld payments for the months of April, May, and June in 2024, just prior to his free transfer to the Spanish club. His lawyer, Frederique Cassereau, expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling, emphasizing the necessity of honoring contractual obligations. The court found that PSG had indeed failed to fulfill its financial commitments, which included not only three months’ salary but also an ethics bonus and a signing bonus stipulated in Mbappe’s contract.
Two prior decisions from the French Professional Football League reaffirmed that the amounts owed to Mbappe were legitimate, and the court dismissed PSG’s attempts to claim he had waived his rights through any written agreement. Furthermore, the judges rejected the club’s arguments that Mbappe should forfeit his unpaid wages. However, they did decline to support some of Mbappe’s broader claims regarding concealed work and allegations of moral harassment, ruling that these did not hold sufficient weight in relation to the dispute.
In their statement, Mbappe’s legal team highlighted the judgment as a reminder of the universal applicability of labor law, even within the high-stakes realm of professional football. They underscored that Mbappe had diligently adhered to his contractual obligations for seven years, concluding with professionalism until his final day at PSG.
PSG contended that Mbappe’s lack of transparency regarding his contract renewal intentions had effectively hindered the club from securing a transfer fee comparable to the €180 million (2 million) they originally paid for him in 2017 from AS Monaco. Nevertheless, Mbappe’s representatives reiterated that the case primarily concerned the enforcement of French labor law and unpaid remuneration, rather than issues related to transfer policy.
This ruling is significant for the football community, affirming the necessity for clubs to adhere to their financial responsibilities while also reinforcing the rights of players under contractual agreements.