On the eve of the France team’s match against Gibraltar, Kylian Mbappé appeared at a press conference on Thursday. The French captain answered a few questions about the Blues, but also and above all about his future, reaffirming his desire to stay at Paris Saint-Germain.
Captain of the France team since last March, Kylian Mbappé will speak very regularly at press conferences in the years to come, on the eve of the France team’s matches. This Thursday, June 15, his presence was not however assured. Since he informed Paris Saint-Germain that he will not extend his contract, which binds him to the capital club until 2024, the Blues striker has been asked from all sides to find out what his future will be. do. His speech at the Algarve stadium in southern Portugal, where France will face Gibraltar on Friday, was therefore eagerly awaited.
So much so that several Spanish journalists – Real Madrid could try to recruit Mbappé this summer – made the trip to attend this press conference. The number 10 of the Blues seemed more annoyed than usual in the face of journalists who revived him on his future at PSG. Faced with few questions about France’s upcoming game, Mbappé answered more concisely than usual. But he showed up in front of the press so that the general public didn’t get the impression that he “runs away from his responsibilities as captain of the France team“.
Are you going to leave Paris Saint-Germain?
Kylian Mbappe: I have already answered this question, I said that my objective was to continue at the club and to continue at PSG. It’s my only option at the moment so I’m ready to come back to the recovery. And I hope the next questions will be about the game because we have a playoff game tomorrow and I’m the captain of the France team.
Are you sure it was the right timing, during the gathering of the France team, to send this letter to PSG? And were you surprised at the club’s reaction to this letter?
The letter was not sent during the rally but before. Shocked, no, there isn’t much to shock me anymore and I would like the next questions to be about tomorrow’s game.
Did you think that this letter was going to parasitize the news so much?
No, because I didn’t think a letter was going to kill anyone or that I had offended anyone. I just sent a letter. We can’t control the reactions but I don’t care.
The President of the Republic has explained that he wants to get involved so that you stay at PSG. What influence can his intervention have with the captain of the France team?
On my career, today, in June 2023, none. Like I said before, he wants me to stay in Paris but my goal is to stay, so we’re on the same wavelength.
“I thought it was important to be here today at the press conference so that no one would believe that I fled or that I was afraid”
Kylian Mbappe
Has this week been complicated for you with all that has happened?
No. I’ve been used to it since I was young. My first concern is tomorrow’s game. And you will see tomorrow that my only concern is to help my team win. What happens outside is secondary and I’ve always managed to do both. The most important thing is tomorrow and I want to prove that I am a great player.
You knew that many questions were going to be asked about your future at PSG. Did you hesitate to come in front of the press?
Not at all, I have a responsibility as captain of the France team and it’s not a few noises that will make me run away from my responsibility. Said I won’t always be there [en conférence de presse] but I thought it was important to be here today so that people don’t think I ran away or that I was scared.
The general public is sometimes lost in the face of your decision not to extend your contract with PSG. In a few clear words, can you explain your choice?
There is nothing to explain. I accept everything, people can speak or criticize. I was like that, I was lucky enough to be a football watcher when I was young. In life, there are many things that we do not understand. They don’t have all the ins and outs, unfortunately too bad for them. The main thing is that I do what I do and I say what I say. There is no problem with that.