Revenge in the air as Kylian Mbappé and PSG clash in Club World Cup semi-final

Real Madrid forward faces former club amid legal war and bitterness, after watching PSG grab the glory he left to pursue

This is a tale of blackmail and revenge, or so it goes. Of power and money, lots of money. It is also a story of sport. The buildup to the semi-final of the Club World Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, those two empires and enemies, didn't begin with a fitness update from Atlanta or Palm Beach; it began on Monday morning New York time with news from Paris that Kylian Mbappe had withdrawn a legal claim accusing his former club of extortion and harassment. Two days before kick-off, it was time for the football.

Well, sort of. The Real Madrid striker and his entourage want to calm the situation and concentrate exclusively on sporting issues," L'Equipe reported. Definitely nothing to do with their prospects of winning the case, then. Besides, there is still the demand for 55m in allegedly unpaid wages and bonuses, which led to PSG's accounts being momentarily blocked. PSG claim Mbappe agreed to waive the 55m when he went and the club have made a counter-claim of 98m. The accusations and counter-accusations are multiple, the amounts eye-watering, the bitterness inescapable even as it is hidden behind a polite exterior.