Mbappe on Messi, Real Madrid criticism and PSG exit

Kylian Mbappe has given a tell-all interview to French TV where he spoke about his difficult start to life at Real Madrid, his departure from Paris Saint-Germain and his absences from the French national team.

Mbappe joined Real Madrid from PSG on a free transfer in the summer but he has endured some criticism and struggles during his first few months in Spain despite scoring nine times in 15 league games.

The 25-year-old has also missed out on the last two squads for France, with manager Didier Deschamps hinting there was a deeper reason for Mbappe’s absence in the most recent round of fixtures.

Having also dealt with numerous off-the-pitch controversies including a dramatic fall-out with PSG supremos over his exit, the interview with Canal+ was a rare in-depth insight into Mbappe’s state of mind in light of his turbulent 2024.

FootballTransfers has rounded up five talking points from the intriguing interview from Mbappe’s interview on Sunday.

Mbappe on: French National Team

Mbappe admitted that fatigue had influenced his performances at Euro 2024 and that injuries had kept him out of the French squad in October, however he curiously refused to elaborate on why Deschamps did not select him in November.

“My love for the French team has not changed,” Mbappe said. “Yes, I miss it, because it’s been a long time since I’ve been there.

“In September, I asked the coach not to go. I had just arrived in Madrid. I had had a super short vacation. The coach insisted that I come, it didn’t go very well. But it’s still the French team.

“Then in October, I was injured. I wasn’t in those discussions, they were talking between staff. The coach told me it was better that he didn’t take me.

“Then, there was November. But I can’t say. It’s the coach’s decision, I stand behind him. I respect his decision. He’s the boss. I wanted to go, but I can’t say why I wasn’t called up.”

Speaking about previous issues with the French team, Mbappe said: “I was called a monkey, no problem. They put the responsibility for the failure on my back, no problem.

“I always put the French team at the top. I did everything to represent the best I could. I gave my nose. And people tell you that they don’t care about the French team. I focus on Real but I never gave up on the French team.”

Mbappe on: PSG exit

Mbappe also insisted he still loves PSG and had no issue with the club, although the striker admitted he ‘could have been more expressive’ with the fans.

He said: “PSG, the club meant a lot to me. I spent seven years there, it’s a super intense place, in the good and the bad. I spent seven extraordinary years.

“Maybe the mistake I made was that I mixed everything up. I had conflicts with people, I defended my rights as a player, but that didn’t represent the club.

“With the fans, I could have been more expressive. They say Kylian doesn’t care. They think it was a hobby before going to Madrid.”

Speaking about his exit, Mbappe said: “I’m in the car and news comes out that the Emir of Qatar is going to make an irrefusable offer to stay at PSG.

“He told me: ‘You see, they think I’m going to make you an offer but you’ve decided to leave and I respect your decision. You want to fulfil your dream of going to Real Madrid, thank you for everything.

“That touched me. I told him I’ll give my best until the end of the season.”

Mbappe on: Real Madrid

Despite his initial troubles at Real, Mbappe insisted he would be a success with the club and that he was happy in Spain.

“I always dreamed of Real Madrid. I don’t know when or how but I knew I was going to play here,” Mbappe said.

“It’s not the best start to the season, but we’re preparing for the trophies that will count. We’ve already won the European Super Cup. It’s not up to what we expected, but at Real, we wait in the second half of the season. That’s where you’ll be judged.”

Mbappe on: brother Ethan and staying at PSG

Mbappe admitted that the one thing that could have prevented him from leaving PSG for Real Madrid was the career of his 17-year-old brother Ethan, who also departed the club for Lille this summer.

Mbappe said: “It’s the thing that affected me the most. His Real Madrid was PSG. And indirectly, I took it away from him.

“He told me he didn’t want to stay, that it wasn’t normal what they were doing to me. I told him: if you want to stay, I’ll extend and we’ll stay a little.

“I would have given up my dream of Madrid for him. Ethan, he’s my brother, you can’t touch that. What’s the point of signing for the best club in the world if you kill your brother’s career?”

Mbappe on: Lionel Messi

After losing the World Cup final to his then-PSG teammate Lionel Messi, Mbappe revealed he was ‘furious’, however he admitted the situation brought the duo ‘closer together’.

“After the World Cup final, when I saw Messi at PSG training, I was still so mad,” Mbappe joked. “But he told me I had already won it before, and now it was his turn.

“I was furious, but you respect it because it’s Messi. We broke the ice by laughing together because we had fought a battle. We created memories from the final. I think that final brought us closer.

“I learned very lot from him. Messi does everything well. You can learn everything from a guy like that. I used to go up to him and ask him, ‘how do you do this? how do you do that?’