For months, he has been the central topic of sports media. At least those football related. There has been speculation about his future, his relationship with current employers, his intention to change the environment. Kudos to all the other big stars of today, a tribute to both Ronaldo and Messi (both changed clubs last summer) but the impression is that the future of Kylian Mbappe causes more curiosity among football fans.And deservedly so, having in mind that this is a guy who is predicted to dominate the next fifteen years on the biggest stage with Erling Haaland.Mbappe has a tough period behind him – he missed a missed penalty in the eighth finals of the EURO 2020 against Switzerland, and then all those speculations about a potential transfer started. Real, Liverpool, new contract with PSG…Manchester City estimated squad value is 1,3 billion euros which makes them the world’s No.1During all that time, the young ace was silent – but just before the newest international break started, he decided to open up. In an extensive interview for L’Equipe, Mbappe spoke on many topics. He admitted that he wanted to leave this summer, but there was also talk about Leo Messi, his relationship with Neymar, Naser Al Khelaifi’s statements that scared him and many other things. Most attention, no doubt, was caused by the statement that he might take a break for a while when it comes to national team obligations.Current situation at PSG – the spectacular MSN trio that the whole world is talking about?”First of all, it should be said that this was a great transfer window for us. We filled a lot of gaps. We have a very competitive team, ready to fight on all fronts, to fight for all trophies. Some players came back late, some arrived injured. There were problems and it was clear that we will not be in the perfect shape from the start. But against Manchester City we were good. Although we are not at our best yet”.##EDITORS_CHOICE##When you see the PSG roster – do you, like the fans, feel the excitement?”Sure! We’re all excited. Everyone’s talking about Messi, but we’ve brought in some more great players. I’ve always said I want to play with the best. Here, that’s the case now. But it’s up to us to do a lot more, because teamwork wins trophies “.What exactly do you mean?”When there are so many great players in the team, various sacrifices are needed. Everyone should be in the service of the team and to winning.”Does that mean that in a game like the one against City, it’s easier to perform defensively because Messi is here now?”Of course. When you have Messi in the team, you know that he works less in defense so that later in attack he would be more ready to score, to be more creative. If I have to go back, I have to. It’s not a problem. It’s hierarchy. It’s not a problem for me to run while Messi walks. I really don’t have a problem with that. It is Messi, after all. And misunderstandings happen. Sometimes I’m not happy that he didn’t pass the ball to me, sometimes he’s not happy i did not pass… But esentially there is no problem.”Mbappe finally speaks: ‘I asked PSG to leave in July’During the Montpellier match (2:0), some ten days ago, while you were on the bench, the cameras caught you talking about Neymar. “This bum did not pass the ball to me.” Were these your words?”Yes, I really said that. I repeat, it happens in football. But that doesn’t mean we have a problem. We talked after that… We exchanged a lot of such words in the past, all because we want to win, to win trophies.””There will probably be such reactions in the future, but there is really no quarell. I respect Neymar both as a player and as a man, I admire everything he is. Sometimes I am dissatisfied with his move, sometimes he is dissatisfied with mine. But it all goes away.”And Messi? Did you imagine what it was like to play with him?”No, I didn’t believe he would come to us! He is one of the few players I was convinced I would never play with. I was convinced he would never leave Barcelona. Now I enjoy every moment next to Leo. It’s a great privilege – he is someone who loves football, talks to everyone, is cordial, wants to fit in as soon as possible. He is even a bit shy. But believe me, he is not shy on the pitch”.Azzurri’s quest for total dominance or consolation prize for Mbappe and LukakuDid you have that feeling towards another player?”Maybe a little with Neymar, when he came. He was extraordinary. But Messi is another matter. The very thought that PSG’s shirt is the only one he wore next to Barça’s is amazing. That’s why it’s an exceptional thing for us.”Like Messi, you were part of a transfer soap opera during the summer. Why did you you wouldn’t extend your contract with Paris Saint-Germain?”In the beginning, I was looking for time to think. Before the EURO 2020, I told the people from the club that I didn’t want a new contract. And after the tournament, I made it clear that I wanted to go. My idea was for everyone to be satisfied: PSG, me… I wanted for the club to make money, to give them enough time to find a replacement… In short, I wanted everyone to be happy. “Pendulum PSG – from shine to shadow as Rennes defeat the ParisiansYou did not want to go as a free agent next summer?”I didn’t. I wanted a transfer, for PSG to make money. But they decided not to sell me. And that’s fine. I continued to train, to play. I didn’t have a problem with that. I’m still in a great team, in a place where I’ve been happy for four years. “You haven’t thought about starting a conflict with the club or a strike? Some players do that…”No, that would be ungrateful. This club welcomed me when I was 18 and gave me a lot during all this time. I always want to give my all, to play, to show that I am a good player, that nothing can get me down – not even a failed transfer. And of course – that I can make a difference on the pitch until the last match I play for this club “.Sergio Ramos’ return scheduled for October 15Didn’t the coming of the Messi make you change your mind? Don’t you think it’s better to stay now?”No, because I never made decisions out of whim. I considered everything well and made a decision.”Are you disappointed that you had to stay?”At the time, when the move failed, I was a little disappointed. You can’t be happy when things like that happen. But I quickly gathered myself and moved on. There was time to mourn as well. Then I came back and continued scoring”.Benzema: ‘It’s only a matter of time before Mbappe plays for Real’How did you experience the boos at Parc de Princes?”I told myself that if I were a fan, I would also boo myself. They didn’t want me to leave, so I’m important to them. I was at peace with myself.”When you talk about leaving – is it about Real Madrid?”Yes. Real sent several offers, from 160 to 200 million euros. During that period, I heard many incorrect things: that I rejected five or six offers from PSG, that I did not want to talk to Leonardo, that I had an idea to raise rebellion in the dressing room “…Nasser Al Khelaifi spoke about you at Messi’s presentation. How did you experience that?”When your president says in front of the whole world that there is no chance of you leaving, that you will never leave either as a free agent or in a transfer – then I was a little worried, I won’t lie. I wondered: OK, then what will happen to me? Then I tried to understand it in a different way: OK, the club loves me, I’m important to them and they won’t let me go”.You did what? You let Leo Messi lying on the pitch behind the wall?!Specifically – why did you want to leave?”I felt that my adventure in Paris was over. I wanted something new, different. I have been playing the French championship for six or seven years. I gave Paris everything I could. I thought I had the right to my assessment. For me, leaving was a logical step “.Were you willing to go anywhere from Paris?”No, I’m tied to this club. If I had left, it would have been only Real Madrid.”Today – five weeks after the end of the transfer window – where are you?”I stayed in Paris and I’m happy. At no point until the end of the season will you hear or see an attitude from me: you didn’t let me go, okay, I’ll take it easy. I love football and I respect this club too much to play at least one game below the maximum. As for my situation – we are no longer talking about extending my contract because they know I want to leave.”The Aftermath: Guardiola drank wine and PSG owner had a cryptic message to MessiSo you’re leaving…”I’ve been in football long enough to learn: yesterday’s truth doesn’t necessarily have to be true today or tomorrow. If they had told me that Messi would play for PSG, I would never have believed it. So…”Are you aware that Leonardo and Al Khelaifi will not like this?”I had to break this silence. I owe it to the fans, to the people who love me. I couldn’t talk about all this during the summer. That’s why I thought now was the right time.”It seems you planned this for a long time?”I don’t like that I carry such a label. In football, you can’t say: I’m doing this now, next year that … Every player, an amateur or a professional, has certain aspirations. I’m no exception either. But I don’t like it when people they say I blindly stick to my plans, that I am stubborn. No, a footballer’s career is not so simple and straightforward. “What could entice you to stay in Paris?”I don’t want to be a hypocrite now and say: Oh, well, I don’t know … We are far from that. My ambitions were clear this summer – I wanted to go with the best conditions possible for PSG. At the moment, my future is not in the foreground. I lost enough energy, it was exhausting. “Messi’s debut goal for PSG seals the win against Manchester CityHow did you feel after the EURO 2020 failure?”We can do all possible analyzes, but we will agree on one thing: we lost to an inferior opponent, and we had 3:1 on the scoreboard in the 80th minute.”Is that missed penalty against the Swiss a dark spot in your career?”Yes. I also lost in the Champions League final, but the penalty is still a dark spot. It was difficult to continue after that.”The French public had a hard time accepting the failure of the national team at the EUROs. None of the players were spared, not even you. Is it true that under the influence of frustration or anger you thought about taking a break when it comes to the national team?”I always put the national team above everything and it will always be like that. Also, I will always play unconditionally for my country. I never wanted to be a problem. But then I felt that I was supposedly starting to be a problem. People looked at me like that. France is the most important thing. So if the team is happier without me, fine. I’ll accept that. “Did you really feel like a problem?”I did. The message I received was that my ego was forcing us to lose, to take up too much space and that without me we might have won the European Championship.”We all got it wrong: Mbappe is No.1, not Messi, says AnelkaWhat happened after…”The president of the French Football Association wanted us to meet. It was supposed to be something confidential, and then they published everything. I didn’t understand that … But I don’t mind. I guess he had his reasons. And no, I didn’t complain about the penalty or anything like that. What I complained about were the insults that followed. They called me a monkey. “You told the president that you will retire from the national team?”We didn’t talk about whether I was really a problem. I never wanted it to be a problem and I never will be.”Did you talk about that with national team coach Deschamps?”No,we talked about the game.”The talks with the association president were about Deschamps as well?”Yes, the president wanted to see me and asked me about that topic. That’s why I talked to him. If the coach wants something similar – we’ll talk. Until then, it’s a finished story for me. I love France and that team very much. What shocked me was that I was punished for the penalty by being called a monkey. That’s why I wanted support. Not because of a missed penalty. “Petty stars out to ruin the Parisian dream: Once like brothers, Neymar and Mbappe are not the best of friends anymoreL’Equipe journalists praised Mbappe’s position during the interview – he did not refuse to answer any questions. Not even the tricky ones, like the problematic relationship with Olivier Giroud, who he said wished him all the best in his future career and that the problem was that are now behind them.In his free time, Mbappe says, he watches Ligue 1 matches and points out Amine Gouiri and Rayan Cherki as the two most talented players.When it comes to further status in the France A team, Mbappe remained vague, but as far as one is concerned – there is not a slightest dilemma.”The 2024 Olympics will be my priority! If necessary, I will include this item in the new contract, without hesitation. I already know where I will spend part of the summer of 2024. I have always dreamed of playing at the Olympics, it is the holy grail.”Maybe it’s not the most important thing in football, but for sports fans it certainly is. And I’m in love with sports. I want the Olympic gold,” Mbappe underlined at the end.##NAJAVA_MECA_5874134##Shortly after L’Equipe published this interview late last night, information emerged that Mbappe agreed to the conversation without consulting with people from the club.Enough reason for new speculations (or is this a confirmation?) that nothing has been right in that relationship for a long time and that this is the beginning of the end after four years.
