The captain of the France team presented himself for the first time since June at a press conference in the blue jersey.
The captain of the France team Kylian Mbappé broke the silence in the selection by appearing on Friday November 17 for the first time at a press conference since June. But he did not wish to answer questions concerning his situation and his future at PSG.
“I announced from my first speech as captain that I was not going to come to all the press conferences, due to the role of Antoine Griezmann, his experience. I am not his hierarchical superior. I did the first three ‘confs’, Antoine did the next three and I said that we were going to leave the door open to other leaders, Mike Maignan, the starting goalkeeper, or Aurélien Tchouameni.”declared Mbappé straight away to explain his long media silence in the France team, which came just after the tensions with the management of PSG.
“There are several leaders, it’s a desire to share leadership, today it’s up to me to come back”, he added, on the eve of the penultimate Euro 2024 qualifying match against Gibraltar. The 2018 world champion was excluded from PSG’s professional group for several weeks during the summer break after announcing his intention not to activate a clause allowing him to extend his contract by one year, until 2025. He then was reinstated into the first team after the first day of Ligue 1.
“The country above all”
Asked precisely about his contractual situation at PSG, while he will be free in June 2024, the star of the Blues (24 years old) did not wish to expand on the question. “This is absolutely not the news of the French team, I came here as captain of the French team and I would like to remain so for the days to come. If this question is important to you , you have to come to the PSG Campus, you ask me and I will answer it if I have to come to a press conference. Normal, right? The country above all else”he replied.
Mbappé also returned to the dig from Luis Enrique, the PSG coach, who felt that he had not had a good match despite his hat-trick in Reims on Saturday in Ligue 1. “You have to ask him why this timing but I took it very well”he indicated.
“He is a great coach, he has a lot to bring me and teach me, I am at a level in my career where I want to broaden my palette, become a complete player”said the attacker. “Since the first day we met, I told him that he would have no problem with me, that my only wish was to play football, progress and win titles. I don’t necessarily need that the coach says that I am the best in the world so that I play well”he believes.