Kylian Mbappe has never really been specific about what, exactly, he wants to achieve at Paris Saint-Germain. There have been vague platitudes about Champions League success, and generally winning for his hometown club. But when it comes to European silverware, bringing home that coveted trophy, Mbappe hasn't really offered much insight.
He has, in fact, dodged questions on the subject, most recently claiming that: "I don’t know what PSG need to do to win the Champions League, it’s not a question for me. You have to talk to the people who make the team, who organise the squad, who build this club. I just try to do my job the best I can.”
It's ironic, then, that the latest U-turn in what has become a two-year saga regarding Mbappe's future may have left the French champions in the strongest position they have been in the Champions League for some time. PSG have spent 10 years failing in the competition, suffering from poorly-constructed squads, weight of expectation, and, at times, bad luck, to crash out of Europe.
This time, though, there is reason to believe that things might be different, that PSG could force their way to the top of the continental game. The competition's field appears to be weaker than in recent years, and perhaps more importantly, this is a PSG team that appears to be better constructed, defined by a coherent system that just happens to have one of the best goalscorers in football history playing off the left.