In a candid interview, the France international reveals his personal side, discussing criticism, managing frustration, and shouldering heavy responsibility at the elite level.
Speaking in an interview with ‘L’Équipe Magazine’, Kylian Mbappé addressed his dressing-room reputation: “Because of my background and journey, I shook up codes and hierarchies. I also made mistakes. It is impossible to do everything right.”
“Even when I did things that seemed foolish, I don’t think I ever lost touch with reality. I knew full well that what I was doing was not right. Sometimes, I did it out of necessity. Sometimes, there was a message behind it. You cannot explain everything, which is why misunderstandings arise, but I never turned against the fans,” the France talisman reflected.
Asked when he had last shed tears over football, the forward was unequivocal: “I only cry when I am injured. When it comes to defeats, I take the view that, one way or another, you deserved to lose. But an injury, nobody deserves that. The last time I cried was when we were knocked out with PSG against City in the Champions League (2021). I wasn’t on the pitch. I cried because you feel useless. Like the winner of a VIP contest. At that moment, what separates you from the millions of people watching on TV? Absolutely nothing,” he explained.
The number 9 also highlighted the relentless pressure placed upon him at the very top: “That is the reason people hold you in such high regard. Because you take all of this on, you are resilient, and you always want to win. I have never settled for failure and it does not bother me that people criticise me for that. I am demanding of myself, more so than most,” he concluded.
