Kylian Mbappé, the 27-year-old Real Madrid and French national team striker, was a guest on the show “The Bridge” this Thursday evening. He discussed his departure from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2024, as well as his rather unique relationship with coach Luis Enrique.
Mbappé: “I made the decision to leave, so for the last three or four months, I wasn’t playing.”
“He’s a really good coach, he says what he thinks. Unfortunately, I had him in my last year (at PSG), and my last year was a rollercoaster, so I couldn’t really enjoy it with him. The first month, I was in the reserves. I had the sword of Damocles hanging over me; at any moment, they could have cut my head off. We had a good relationship, then I made the decision to leave, so for the last three or four months, I wasn’t playing anymore.
Mbappé: “I couldn’t really enjoy it in my situation.”
“He only kept me for the Champions League. My mind was half here and half there, so, technically, I didn’t enjoy it. I enjoyed it as a football fan. But I couldn’t really enjoy it in my situation. He’s a coach who knows the game,” as reported by RMC Sport.
Mbappé doesn’t forget to praise Luis Enrique; any other kind of praise would likely backfire. However, the striker also makes a point of acknowledging that he’s had a challenging year, facing difficulties to overcome. Some of these stemmed from his uncertainty about the future. This lack of self-reflection is somewhat lacking, as his exclusion at the end of the season was also due to his not fully integrating into the team. Admittedly, there was also the preparation for the future initiated by coach Luis Enrique.
At least, Enrique sees his work being recognized. Even though we know the Spaniard doesn’t really need compliments to be confident in his abilities. His performance on the pitch has spoken for itself; his ideas are clear and can lead to success. Although there’s no magic formula for achieving it.
