After a first year at Real Madrid concluded without the slightest trophy, Kylian Mbappé quickly turned the page to look ahead to this new exercise. Having already had a remarkable start to the season with five goals in as many matches, the striker is ready for the new season. Determined to regain his effectiveness and forget a blank season, the French striker also wants to digest the frustration of the last World Cup, finished at the foot of the podium after an elimination against Spain in the semi-final while the Blues were among the big favorites. This Friday, in the columns of France Footballthe French captain returned with the necessary perspective on this setback without speaking of failure. After having talked a lot about the Ballon d’Or and returning to the successes of PSG since his departure, Mbappé also spoke uncompromisingly about the French team and the failure during the last World Cup:
“If you had asked me outright, I would have said yes. Now that it’s passed, it’s not a failure. It’s a shame. Spain negotiated the match better, congratulations to them“, he tempered, before detailing the errors made during this semi-final: “we made a mistake in the way we approached the start. The penalty is a turning point, because not much happens beforehand. When you lose 1-0 against a team that likes to keep the ball, it’s more complicated. We were unable to readjust. The competition is still positive. We knew how to make the French dream, we made them proud. They have affection and enthusiasm for this team. It’s still a victory, too.»
“Zinedine Zidane is elegance,” recalls Mbappé
During this interview, the French star also spoke about the burden that has been placed on him for several years in the selection and the weight of the armband, which has caused numerous tensions in the past. “It’s difficult just to be captain, so captain of the France team, it’s very difficult. (He laughs.) But it’s a great experience. It allowed me to evolve as an individual in a group. In selection, I have always been the guy we watch. Captain, you’re the one who has to look at the others. It’s a lot of energy but also a lot of fun. I try to do it as best as possible. (…) In a World Cup, we are a bit of all that. Team Manager, nanny, psychologist, captain…You don’t have a lot of time for yourself, but you know why you’re there, so you do what’s necessary. (…) Is it natural for me? No. I have always been very orderly, methodical. So, I assume that everyone knows what they should do. We are grown-ups. But, in life, everything is not always square. Since there are around twenty human beings, it cannot be perfect. And that’s what makes beauty», Confided the native of Bondy.
From now on, our eyes are turned towards the future and towards a new chapter named Zinedine Zidane, whose debut on the Blues bench is scheduled for September 25 in Turkey. A step impatiently awaited by the entire locker room according to Mbappé: “none of the players who are in the French team have known anything else (than Didier Deschamps). We can’t wait to see what happens, and we will do as usual, try to perform well and win.» As for many French people, this passing of the baton takes on a particular dimension for Mbappé, an admirer from the start of the new coach of the Blues. “Zidane, it’s Zidane. For the French, it represents a lot. It’s the legend, it’s national Zizou. It’s elegance, grandeur. He made the history of the selection as a player. He has some very iconic moments. He is the player who perhaps most represents the France team. He is one of the players who has spanned generations. He left his indelible mark on the history of French football.», concluded the French captain, visibly impatient to find Clairefontaine.
