“No one is bigger than the club,” said the Paris Saint-Germain president, Nasser al-Khelaifi, reacting to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the future of Kylian Mbappé. This statement has always seemed misaligned with reality and amid the Ligue de Football Professionnel’s attempts to garner a significant sum for their broadcasting rights, the France captain’s importance now transcends the club entirely. Undoubtedly, there has been a change in the project at PSG, incarnated by the dissolution of the ‘MNM’ this summer, with Lionel Messi and Neymar both departing. The era of superstars was over, with Luís Campos presiding over an overhaul of the squad, with a notable focus on youth. By bringing in players such as Gonçalo Ramos, Randal Kolo Muani, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola, it was thought the threat posed by PSG would be more diversified. The opposite has, however, proven to be the case. Despite spending a combined €170m on Kolo Muani and Ramos, neither of whom are yet to unequivocally earn the trust of Luis Enrique, it is Mbappé who has featured through the middle in recent weeks, even playing the full 90 minutes in Les Parisiens’ 9-0 Coupe de France thrashing of sixth-tier side US Revel on 7 January. “Kylian wanted to play, and when he wants to play, there isn’t a lot to say,” said Luis Enrique post-match. Such a statement sits uncomfortably with Khelaifi’s insistence that no player is bigger than PSG. On the pitch, Mbappé has never been so indispensable. This season, he has 19 goals in 17 Ligue 1 games, the equivalent of 43% of all of PSG’s goals in the top-flight, and that despite €265m being spent on forwards in the summer. While it was Barcola who grabbed the headlines and impressed against Lens on Sunday night, it was Mbappé who pulled the strings. The Monaco academy product, who continues to play in a central, “free” role, was at the heart of everything, making 78 touches, setting up Barcola with a deft through ball for the opener and then killing the game in the dying stages with a tidy finish from a tight angle. Last season, Lens and PSG met on New Year’s Day and once again this season, the two sides faced off in the first gameweek of 2024. Lens won that fixture in 2023 in a result that signalled a title challenge that would run until the penultimate gameweek of the season. Ultimately, PSG finished just one point ahead of Lens. Les Sang et Or are nowhere near Les Parisiens this season, and Franck Haise’s side could miss out on European football altogether, however, PSG’s victory on Sunday felt ominous, especially within the context of losses for Nice and Monaco. PSG’s dominance this season is a product of Mbappé’s individual dominance in Ligue 1; his closest challenger for the Golden Boot is Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder, who has just nine goals. Amid discussions pertaining to the attractiveness of Ligue 1, Mbappé represents a quandary and a contradictory figure. The France captain has won the Ligue 1 Golden Boot every season since 2018-19, apart from 2019-20, where he shared the accolade with Ben Yedder. The self-professed ‘League of Talents’ many would argue is richer for Mbappé’s presence, and it is clear to see why political figures, notably Emmanuel Macron pushed for Mbappé to stay in order to raise the profile of the league. However, since reaching maturity, Mbappé has represented something of a cheat code, a get-out-of-jail-free card for PSG, who over the past few seasons haven’t got everything right, very far from it in fact, but have nonetheless won five out of the last six Ligue 1 titles, and are well on their way to a sixth. Mbappé, merely through his own individual brilliance, has become detrimental to the competitiveness of the league. Due to him, PSG have, domestically at least, become almost impervious to their own failings. That is a detriment to rivals, but also PSG themselves, and there is an argument that French football could be a better product in his absence, especially in the event that it reins in PSG’s dominance. Les Parisiens’ performances this season suggest that this would be the case. The LFP to receive €800m per season for the tender for the upcoming cycle, which runs from 2024-2029, however, no bids were submitted. The LFP are therefore now negotiating with broadcasters individually, with DAZN reportedly strongly positioned. These negotiations coincide with huge uncertainty surrounding Mbappé’s PSG future. The Frenchman is once again the subject of intense interest from Real Madrid, however, Mbappé’s entourage have publicly denied that a pre-contract agreement is in place. Ligue 1, amid uncertainty around the future broadcasting deal and Mbappé’s continuation in the league, feels in limbo, with the outcome of the latter potentially significantly impacting the former. Through his exploits, Mbappé has therefore not only in many ways become bigger than PSG, but bigger than Ligue 1 himself. “He is the best player in the world,” Khelaifi told L’Équipe. But his importance transcends that of any normal footballer and Mbappé’s decision will shape the landscape of French football for potentially years to come – for better or for worse. Talking points Not all is well at Rennes. The Breton club was rocked by Nemanja Matić’s decision to flee the city in order to force through a move. The Serbian international is unhappy with life in Rennes, notably due to the impossibility of enrolling his children at an international school, as had been promised when he made the switch from Roma in the summer. Begrudgingly, Matić returned to Rennes, however, he is reportedly keen on a return to the Premier League. Adrien Truffert and Arnaud Kalimuendo have also been heavily linked with moves away from a struggling Rennes side, however, amid the uncertainty and the potential dismantling of a talented, youthful, but under-performing side, Julien Stéphan’s side took all three points against an off-colour Nice. Having secured back-to-back Ligue 1 victories for the first time this season, a corner has perhaps been turned on the pitch, even if off-the-pitch issues continue to prove disruptive. Few teams are as affected by the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup than Reims and Monaco. Will Still admitted to having doubts about his Reims team with six players, including the captain, Yunis Abdelhamid, Amir Richardson and Junya Ito, all absent. However, the Englishman described Les Stadistes’ 3-1 victory over Monaco as a “miracle”. The 18-year-old Mamadou Diakhon had impressed with a brace in the Coupe de France a week earlier. Still said the winger has a “mad potential”, however, it was the former Brighton midfielder Reda Khadra who stood out at the Stade Louis II, netting an impressive solo goal as Reims began 2024 with consecutive wins. The Afcon and Asian Cup can provide chances for youth players and peripheral figures to state their claims for more minutes; Reims’ players took that chance, Monaco’s did not, as they slip below Brest in the standings. “The big objective is [to reach] the Champions League, but with this kind of performance, we don’t deserve it ... today was a disaster,” reacted Adi Hütter. Despite their downturn in form, Monaco will still be among the favourites for a podium position.