Kylian Mbappe: Real Madrid and France forward thought he would never play for PSG this season – Sky Sports
Football
Kylian Mbappe left PSG for Real Madrid this week; the French forward thought he would never play for the French club this season after he was kept away from the team last summer; the France captain insists he was happy at the club despite “things and people there that made me unhappy”
@SamBIitz
Tuesday 4 June 2024 21:19, UK
Kylian Mbappe was convinced he was never going to play for PSG this season because of how “violently” he claims he was spoken to, but admitted he was never unhappy at the French club despite leaving them for Real Madrid this week.
The 25-year-old completed a free transfer to European champions Real on Monday having refused to extend his contract at PSG, who initially kept him away from the first team during pre-season after he refused to commit to a new contract.
Mbappe was reinstated in the middle of August and played the season, though was taken off in key matches towards the end of the campaign as Luis Enrique wanted PSG to “learn how to play without him”.
That being said, Mbappe says this whole season has been “one of the best of his career”.
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It is thought PSG want to move on from the whole saga, but the club would be disappointed by Mbappe’s comments given the substantial amount of money they have invested in him during his six-year stint at the club.
Recalling an apparent start of the season drama with the club hierarchy during a press conference on Tuesday, Mbappe said: “They told me straight, without any third party, straight to my face. It was very clear. I was spoken to so violently that I was convinced that I wasn’t going to play.
“The people who saved me were Luis Enrique and Luis Ocampos the sporting director. That’s the truth. Without them, I’d never have put a foot on the pitch. The truth was very much that as I had a good relationship with the coach and the sporting director.
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“I thought I was never going to play. As soon as I got back on the pitch, it was a successful season.
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“In the way I played, I’m very proud of the year just gone, even if technically or performance-wise it’s not at my usual standards. But looking at everything I had to go through just to play, everything I had to be subjected to throughout the year, it’s the best season of my career.”
Mbappe added he was never unhappy at PSG – though did say certain individuals made life at the Parc des Princes unpleasant for him.
“At PSG, I wasn’t unhappy,” he claimed. “Saying I was would be spitting in the soup, spitting in the faces of those who defended me and supported me. I was always happy at PSG but it’s clear there were things and people there that made me unhappy.
“And nobody there would say I was unhappy because I was a leader in the team and someone for people to follow and we don’t follow someone who drags their feet. It’s difficult to follow someone like that.
“I tried to be as positive as possible. And all the coaches, the players, everyone at the club really helped me.
“Excuse the impression, it’s an angry way of saying it, but I would be a b****** to come here and say, having joined a new club, that I was unhappy at PSG with all the people who are there. But there were things there that made me unhappy for sure.
“But there’s worse things in the world. That’s football. I was always told growing up to never show up and start crying. I’m extremely well paid for someone in football compared to others in the game. There are others who have a job who earn less than me, who go to factories every day. I’ve never had to wake up and go to a factory.
“What I’ve experienced, I will carry on. It’s quite inappropriate for me, Kylian Mbappé, to come here complain in front of the world when horrible things are happening in the world. There are worse things, but it wasn’t pleasant for me either. But that’s how I’ve grown up, it’s in my nature.”
Mbappe signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid but the focus will now be on trying to secure a European Championship for France.
The France captain says his tumultuous season just gone will not be an excuse for any performances for his country this summer – as he vowed to “bring the trophy home”.
“It’s a great relief. I am very happy,” said Mbappe when asked about his Madrid move. “That’s something you can easily see on my face. Like I said, it’s something I’ve always wanted so I am happy.
“Before the end of the season, I didn’t play that much. Everyone knows why I didn’t play so much. But there you go, you have to adapt. There are difficulties you have to overcome when you’re a player. But that’s absolutely not going to be an excuse for the tournament ahead.
“I’m in a good moment physically, the team and the manager thinks so too, so I’m going to find the best form possible and my objective is to put the team in the best possible position at the Euros. We want to bring the trophy home.
“A happy man is more likely to play better than a sad one. But it’s not excuse for the performances I’ve done, nor for the ones I’m going to have. It’s just a feeling I have now, that I’m really happy.
“Now, just because I smile doesn’t mean we’re going to win matches, right? There’s a job to do, everyone has to work and especially me first. But of course, I’m coming into these games in a good and enthusiastic mood.”
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