Ibrahim Mbaye, an 18-year-old forward who recently left Paris Saint-Germain to sign with Aston Villa, opened up in an interview with the Cheikh Footstyle channel. The Senegalese international explained, among other things, why he struggled to fully express himself at PSG.
Mbaye: “That’s not the kind of pressure you should put on yourself.”
“Things didn’t necessarily go the way I wanted at PSG. I was putting a certain kind of pressure on myself—the wrong kind. I’d see the big players—the Ballon d’Or contenders, Désiré (Doué), Bradley (Barcola), Gonçalo (Ramos)—and tell myself: ‘I have to do better than them.’ But that’s not the kind of pressure you should put on yourself. You just have to play your own game. The more you train and play alongside them, the more you learn, because they are great players with more experience.”
It is refreshing to see a player capable of self-reflection and critical analysis—especially regarding the mental aspect of the game, which isn’t always easy to pinpoint. It would have been easy to simply complain about a lack of confidence or playing time. Here, Mbaye demonstrates an intelligence and perspective that should serve his career well.
His departure may also help him shake off some of that pressure. That said, the forward has joined a major club in a top-tier league. However, he is no longer carrying the weight of being a Paris academy product—a status that brings pride and extra motivation, but also adds pressure.
We hope Mbaye finds greater composure in his game and takes the necessary steps to truly establish himself at the highest level. He shows great potential; now it is a matter of fully realizing it.
