Kylian Mbappé Is What Messi Warned Us About

May 30th, 2026. The Puskás Aréna in Budapest. Paris Saint-Germain beat Arsenal 4-3 in penalty the Champions League final, a back to back win of the Champions League after beating Inter Milan 5-0 last year. And I’m sitting there watching this, and the same thought keeps coming back to me. Where is Kylian Mbappé? The man who spent seven years at PSG. The man who scored 256 goals for the club. The man who became their all-time leading scorer. The man who left in the summer of 2024 because he said PSG wasn’t ambitious enough. Because he said he deserved a “real winning project.” He’s in Madrid. Watching from a distance. While the club he abandoned wins the trophy he always wanted. And that’s when I remembered something. Something Lionel Messi reportedly said to Mbappé before he left PSG in 2023. According to Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Messi told him: “I prefer that you go to Barça. But if you want to go to Madrid, do it. You deserve a real winning project.” But why did Messi say those words? Why was Mbappe so eager to leave? And most importantly, why is it that Mbappé just couldn’t see it? Over the next ten minutes, you’ll find out.