PSG Ordered to Pay Kylian Mbappé €60 Million in Unpaid Wages

A Paris labour court has delivered a significant ruling in one of French football's most high-profile financial disputes, ordering Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to pay €60 million ($70.6 million) in unpaid wages and bonuses to its former superstar, Kylian Mbappé. The decision, handed down on December 16, 2025, brings a partial conclusion to the acrimonious legal battle that erupted after the France captain's departure to Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer of 2024.

The core of the dispute centered on earnings that Mbappé claimed were withheld by PSG for April, May, and June of 2024. According to the court's findings, reported by Al Jazeera, the unpaid sums included three months of salary, an ethics bonus, and a signing bonus that were due under the player's employment contract. The court noted that these amounts had already been recognized as owed by two prior decisions from the French Professional Football League in September and October 2024.

The Court's Ruling and Legal Arguments

The judges rejected PSG's primary defense, which argued that Mbappé should forfeit his unpaid wages entirely. The club had contended that the player acted disloyally by allegedly concealing his intention not to renew his contract for nearly a year, a move that prevented PSG from securing a substantial transfer fee. The club had originally paid €180 million to sign Mbappé from AS Monaco in 2017.

However, the court found that PSG "had not produced any written agreement showing Mbappé had waived his entitlement" to the unpaid remuneration. In a statement, Mbappé's legal team framed the judgment as a victory for contractual integrity: "This judgment confirms that commitments entered into must be honoured. It restores a simple truth: even in the professional football industry, labour law applies to everyone."

Limitations of the Judgment

While a clear win for Mbappé on the issue of unpaid wages, the ruling was not a complete victory. The court dismissed several additional claims made by the player's side, including allegations of concealed work, moral harassment, and breach of the employer's duty of safety. Furthermore, the judges did not classify Mbappé's fixed-term contract as a permanent one, a decision that limited the scale of potential compensation related to dismissal and notice pay.

This distinction was crucial in containing the financial liability for PSG. Mbappé's representatives emphasized that the dispute was strictly about the application of French labour law and unpaid remuneration, not transfer policy or broader club-player relations.

Broader Implications for Football

The case sets a notable precedent regarding the power dynamics between elite football clubs and their superstar players. Frederique Cassereau, Mbappé's lawyer, told reporters after the ruling, "We are satisfied with the ruling. This is what you could expect when salaries went unpaid." The statement from Mbappé's camp highlighted that the player "scrupulously respected his sporting and contractual obligations for seven years, right up to the final day" of his tenure at PSG.

For PSG, the ruling represents a costly end to a saga they had hoped would recoup some value from a prized asset who left without a transfer fee. It underscores the legal risks clubs face in contractual disputes, even when they feel wronged by a player's departure strategy.

For the wider football industry, the judgment reinforces that standard employment law cannot be circumvented by the unique economics and emotions of the sport. Contracts must be honored, and unpaid wages will be pursued through the courts, regardless of the stature of the parties involved. As Mbappé continues his career at Real Madrid, this legal chapter closes with a firm reminder that financial obligations in football are enforceable under the law.