The star French attacker Kylian Mbappé regretted the departure of Argentine Lionel Messi from PSG, although he claimed to be “happy” to stay one more season in the Parisian team, in an interview published Wednesday in the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
Mbappé reiterated that he has not “asked to be transferred or go to Real Madrid”.
“I only confirmed that I am not going to activate the additional year provided for in the contract. With PSG we have never discussed an extension, but I am happy to stay here next season,” Mbappé declared in the interview, carried out during the national team’s concentration of France in Clairefontaine.
The attacker also referred sadly at the departure of Lionel Messi, “potentially the best player in the history of football”.
“It’s never good news when someone like Messi leaves, I don’t understand why so many people were relieved that he was gone.”lamented Mbappé.
“We’re talking about Messi, we have to respect him, but on the contrary, he didn’t have the respect he deserved in France. It’s a shame but that’s the way it is, we’ll have to do everything possible to replace him,” he added.
The player, coveted by Real Madrid, announced on Tuesday that he has not negotiated the additional year he had signed with his club, so that at the end of next season he will be free.
Such a decision opened up all the scenarios about his future, including a possible departure this summer to prevent him from leaving next year without compensation for his club.
Regarding the last season of PSG, champion in France but eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League, the 24-year-old admitted that he had “gaps that sooner or later were going to be paid for”.
“You have to learn from mistakes so as not to repeat them again,” he stressed.
In the interview, the player also referred to racism, pointing out that it is time to “change the things”after the insults received by Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan) in Italy and Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) in Spain.
“We must all leave the field (when a racist act occurs). If we leave, it will be understood that the situation is serious. Complaining is not enough,” said the captain of the French team, who called for “more solidarity between the players.”
“In 2023 we cannot allow a minority to ruin our pleasure in football: Beyond money and celebrity, we play to convey to the fans the pleasure of playing and watching football. If they treat you like a monkey, you don’t want to continue,” added the player.