MARSEILLE, May 10 (Xinhua) — Kylian Mbappe confirmed on Friday that he will leave French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, without revealing his next destination.

But according to multiple media reports, he will join the La Liga powerhouses Real Madrid after the season ends.

“I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks,” Mbappe said in a video posted on social media.

“I will play my last game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.”

The French international joined PSG on loan from Monaco in 2017 and officially signed with the capital-based side after the season ended for a transfer fee of 180 million euros.

During his seven years with the team, Mbappe helped the club claim six league titles and three French Cup victories, making 306 appearances and scoring 255 goals, becoming the top scorer in the team’s history.

“It’s a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honor to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world,” said the 26-year-old.

“It allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure, to grow as a player of course, by being alongside some of the best in history, some of the greatest champions,” he added.

“It’s hard and I never thought it would be this difficult to announce that… but I think I needed this, a new challenge, after seven years.”

PSG have already secured the Ligue 1 title of this season and reached the French Cup final, where they will compete for the championship against Lyon on May 25th.

However, in the Champions League where the team most aspired to make a mark, they suffered another disappointing exit as they were eliminated in the semifinals after being defeated in both legs by Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

Source(s): Xinhua

MADRID, May 8 (Xinhua) — Two late goals from Real Madrid substitute Joselu overturned a 1-0 deficit to Bayern Munich to book the Spanish side a place in the Champions League final on Wednesday.

Bayern were leading 1-0 in the 88th minute thanks to a goal from substitute Alphonso Davis when keeper Manuel Neuer inexplicably spilled a tame effort from Vinicius Jr that he would normally have clutched to his chest, allowing Joselu to poke home from close range.

Two minutes later Joselu netted his second after Bayern failed to clear a corner and Antonio Rudiger crossed for him to put the empty net, and give his side a 2-1 win on the night and a 4-3 triumph on aggregate.

From the start it was clear it would be a different game from the first leg in Munich a week ago, because rather than looking to energetically pressure their rivals high up the field, Bayern sat back, with three organized lines willing to soak up Real Madrid’s pressure.

That allowed Madrid more of the ball, but fewer spaces for Rodrygo and Vinicius to exploit, although Rodrygo was close to getting a touch on Dani Carvajal’s low cross in the sixth minute.

Vinicius should have put his side ahead in the 13th minute when the attack-minded Carvajal picked him in space and his shot bounced back off the post, with the forward hitting the rebound at Neuer.

Serge Gnabry suffered a relapse of his muscle problems in the 26th minute and was replaced by Alphonso Davis, before Harry Kane tested Andriy Lunin with a shot on the turn a minute later.

Real Madrid were doing most of the attacking however, and Neuer had to be alert to tip Vinicius’ in-swinging cross out for a corner after it threatened to evade everyone and end up in the net.

The second half began with Vinicius’ electric run and cross blocked at the last moment, before Davis saw a shot deflected for a corner at the other end.

Vinicius was giving Bayern right back Joshua Kimmich a torrid night, beating him time after time, with one run setting up Rodrygo to fire just wide and another drawing a flying save from Neuer.

Neuer also got across to block a Rodrygo free kick as Madrid continued to dominate, although Kane and Jamal Musiala both drew saves from Lunin.

Davis stunned the Bernabeu in the 68th minute when he collected a pass from Kane, cut inside and beat Lunin with a powerful shot into the far corner of the net.

Bayern seemed to be closing in on a famous win but Joselu was brought on and changed the game. Real Madrid will now face Borussia Dortmund looking for their 15th Champions League title.

Source(s): Xinhua

MADRID, May 7 (Xinhua) — Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was optimistic, but cautious when he spoke to the press ahead of Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League semifinal return leg at home to Bayern Munich.

A 2-2 draw in Munich a week ago means Ancelotti’s side goes into the game as favorites, but although the coach said it could be a “magical night” for the club, he advised his players were also “aware of the difficulties we may find.”

“We need to play an intense game both in attack and defense,” he commented, adding that his side could have defended better in the first leg.

“We have to try to be at our best. We’re excited because we’ve got a great opportunity to make it to the final again. We’re in good shape, highly motivated, and we’ll try to do our best,” advised Ancelotti.

Real Madrid goes into the game after assuring their 36th La Liga title with a 3-0 win at home to Cadiz on Saturday, and the coach said he backed his players to continue with their excellent form.

“We have this squad, which has done very well this season, and I’m confident the fans will get behind us. We are in a good position,” insisted Ancelotti.

Ancelotti, who coached Bayern between 2016 and 2017, said the German powerhouse and Real Madrid were “similar clubs,” with a “great tradition and history in the European Cup.”

“We respect them and they were the better side in the first leg,” he advised, before confirming that Andriy Lunin would start in goal, despite Thibaut Courtois’ return from injury at the weekend.

Source(s): Xinhua