Kylian Mbappe said he wanted to set the record straight over his past few months, and did so in a bombshell interview with Canal+.
The France captain, who was dropped from the national squad by Didier Deschamps, has had a difficult start to life at Real Madrid, even despite scoring plenty of goals.
Off the pitch things have been a relative disaster, and despite keeping quiet, Mbappe has now had his say with a long sitdown chat on the show Clique. Here are the best quotes.
On his mental health: “The culture of a country is something you learn, that’s what I’m doing. The day I was presented, I really insisted on adapting to the team and the club. When you say that, people say it’s false modesty. People see us as robots, but when you go a little further, you see that we are human beings like everyone else. I’ve had some tough battles to fight, some sporting disappointments. I’ve had times when I was tired, but I’m not depressed.”
On his start at Real Madrid: “It’s not the best start to the season, whether collectively or individually, but we’re in the running for all the trophies. We’re preparing for the moments that will count. We’ve already won the European Super Cup. We’re going to play a final in one or two weeks to win a second trophy in three months. It’s not up to what we expected, but ultimately, we’re waiting for you in the second half of the season. That’s when you’ll really be judged. You’re in the football pantheon. Go be the best with the best, that’s my motto.”
On his political statements at Euro 2024: “You represent a lot of things for people, you defend values. There are difficulties that must sometimes be faced, but you must never deny yourself. No matter what happens, I will never deny myself. I have always wanted to express myself as a citizen. Sometimes, when you are known, you are a little trapped. When you do not express yourself, it is bad. When you express yourself, it is bad. We are citizens like everyone else. You have a point of view and values that you defend and you go with that. My France is a France full of diversity, where we don’t put up barriers, where we let young people dream of living together. In Bondy, we were all different. I grew up telling myself that our differences unite us. I respond when I see things that affect me. I can’t pretend not to see. Sometimes, maybe the way I do it bothers people, no one is perfect. But no one can blame me for not caring about my country, about what’s happening here.”
On the Stockholm allegations: “I was surprised. These are things that just show up in your life, without seeing them coming. I received nothing, no summons, nothing. I am not concerned. It’s just incomprehension, it didn’t weigh on me because I don’t feel concerned. We have to let it go, let justice do its job.”
On the national team: “My love for the French team has not changed. For my club, I have never forgiven a tenth of what I have done for the French team. They lied about me on many occasions. In the interest of the nation, I kept my mouth shut, I kept my head down. They put the responsibility for a lot of failures on my back. I even gave my nose, what do you want me to give you? I never abandoned the French team.”
On Didier Deschamps: “In September, I had a discussion with the coach. I asked if I could stay home. I had just arrived in Madrid, I wasn’t 100% mentally. Coming when you’re not 100% is a bit like taking over the French team. I told him: ‘I’m not at full strength, we had a super short vacation.’ He insisted that I come, it didn’t go very well, but it’s the French team, you go. In October, I was injured. I wasn’t at the heart of the discussions, it was talking between staff. November, I can’t say (why I wasn’t there). I wanted to go. It’s the coach’s decision, I stand behind what he said. He doesn’t want it to be known, I totally respect his decision.”
On PSG: “They don’t know everything that’s going on, sometimes they take it personally. They say to themselves: ‘Kylian, he doesn’t care, he doesn’t give a damn.’ I’m sure people say to themselves that I never liked PSG. Nasser al-Khelaïfi never let me go, I left on my own. But I wish them the best. I hope that one day, they’ll win the Champions League. The fans, the people who suffer every day there, they deserve a little happiness. But not now, because I have to win it!”
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