In GQ magazine, striker Kylian Mbappe talked about the two senior stars Lionel Messi and Neymar leaving PSG and having to take on greater responsibility at both club and team levels.

Mbappe in a photo set on GQ. Photo: GQ

Mbappe’s conversation with GQ took place in November 2023, one day after PSG struggled to draw with Newcastle at Parc des Princes in the Champions League group stage. That day, Mbappe kicked a penalty in injury time, giving the French club a point after the team’s disappointing performance.

The French striker was not upset, or if he was, he did not show it. He appeared at the interview wearing a plain black T-shirt, a loose pastel Jordan tracksuit, and an expensive watch. “Football is a complicated thing and you quickly forget positive and negative experiences,” Mbappe said. “You always have to adapt and renew yourself.”

Some post-match aches and pains are normal for Mbappe, who has played more than 400 top-level matches, even though he just turned 25. After emerging as a teenage star at AS Monaco, Mbappe won the 2018 World Cup. with France when he was just 19 years old.

In 2017, he joined PSG on loan from Monaco, before being bought permanently in the summer of 2018 for $215 million and becoming the most expensive teenage player in history. Mbappe has become the top scorer in PSG history and sooner or later will achieve the same status at team level. With 46 goals, Mbappe is currently second on France’s all-time goals list, behind only Thierry Henry (51) and Olivier Giroud (56). Mbappe is also the youngest player ever to be shortlisted for the Golden Ball.

In that constant journey of improvement, Mbappe learned what it takes to stay in top shape, including stretching more before matches and then spending more time with physiotherapists. “Those are the largely invisible things that help connect the dots, making it easier for me to come back from any injury,” he said.

Mbappe works out in PSG’s gym at Camp des Loges headquarters, Paris just three days after the 2022 World Cup final. Photo: Instagram @k.mbappe

Unlike many other football stars, Mbappe likes to draw a clear line between his professional and private life. “I have a fully equipped home gym, but like to spend as much time as possible at the team’s training center and do whatever I have to do there, even if I have to get home late,” said money. 25 year old director said. “Recovery is also mental. The club is a place to work, and home is a relaxing space, where I relax more, spend time with my family, people I don’t see often.”

The 2023-2024 season marks a new turning point for Mbappe. In July 2023, Lionel Messi left PSG to join Inter Miami in MLS on a free transfer. A month later, Neymar moved to Al Hilal of the Saudi Pro League in a record deal. Despite the departure of two star seniors, Mbappe is unfazed by the much greater burden and responsibility at club level.

“Many great players who shaped football history left Europe last summer, and we are entering a new era,” the 2018 World Cup champion said, referring to the wave of moves to Saudi Arabia with huge income. “It has become part of the cycle of this sport, and at some point, it will be my turn to go. I’m not worried about these changes. I’m simply thinking about continuing the journey.” career and follow your own path.

Neymar, Mbappe (middle) and , Lionel Messi before the Ligue 1 match between PSG and Troyes at Parc des Princes, Paris on October 29, 2022. Photo: AFP

Mbappe likes to control every aspect of his image and knows how to present himself to the world. The French striker also showed his child-like enthusiasm and obsession with winning throughout the conversation.

“The desire to win, to push the limits of what is possible and to do great things is ingrained in me,” he said. “I think I owe that to the education and guidance I received both on and off the field. This helped me build myself as a player and as a man. We tend to forget that, but will always be children when playing football. The level of competition changes, but the mentality does not. Passion remains unchanged over the years.”

Despite being Ligue 1’s top scorer for the last 5 years, including 29 goals last season, Mbappe always wants to be more comprehensive. Coach Didier Deschamps is not surprised with his students’ progress. “Mbappe is a perfectionist and loves competition. He always wants to do more and be better in every field,” the 55-year-old coach said.

According to Deschamps, heading the ball at first was not one of Mbappe’s strong points, but the striker has improved significantly in his aerial ability and was shown in his goal against Australia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “The number of goals that Mbappe scored is already very impressive, but Mbappe can still shoot more accurately,” said the French coach.

Mbappe also takes a more comprehensive approach to training. “In addition to the technical aspects, to be better with your left foot or your head, you have to broaden your horizons about the sport,” the 25-year-old striker explains. “Thanks to playing for six or seven different coaches, I’ve learned six or seven different ways to do my job. I’ve developed different aspects and am constantly evolving. The right mindset requires the ability the ability to listen and adapt. The striker born in 1998 also learned many things from listening to stars in other countries, such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in tennis, or French handball player Nikola Karabatic.

Mbappe began to seize opportunities to take on greater responsibilities, including the position of captain of the French national team. “The big difference from before is that then my attention was really focused on my individual performances and what I could bring to the team,” he said. “Becoming captain gives me a new, broader vision.”

When talking to GQ , Mbappe has a few days to recover and prepare for the next match. These moments of “relaxation” are becoming more and more rare, due to the increasing number of matches. From the 2024-2025 season, the number of teams participating in the Champions League will increase to 36 , instead of 32 as in the current format, while the 2026 World Cup will have 48 teams, compared to 32 as in the current format. This makes the players’ schedules increasingly dense, as they have to play many domestic tournaments and attend many pre-season tours with large commercial profits. A report released in June 2023 by the players’ association FIFPRO, emphasized that due to not having much recovery time between matches, the physical and mental health of professional players is deteriorating. .

Raphael Varane, Mbappe’s former France teammate, told GQ in 2022 that these changes could have serious consequences. “I’m afraid that the careers of players will be much shorter, because physically or mentally, what is required of them today is simply beyond the limit,” said the Man Utd midfielder. Other players, such as Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk and Real Madrid’s French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, have expressed similar concerns. Man City coach Pep Guardiola said harshly that UEFA and FIFA ” are killing players “.

Mbappe dribbled in the 4-0 win over the Netherlands in Euro 2024 qualifying on March 24, 2023 in Paris – the first match after he was appointed captain of the France team. Photo: AFP

Many players were injured after the team gathering in November 2023, including Vinicius, Erling Haaland, Gavi and Marcus Rashford. And Mbappe fears that the changes are a sign of a growing disconnect between players, fans and football’s governing body. “Personally, I am not against playing so many matches, but we will not be able to play well all the time and give the fans the performances they expect,” the 25-year-old striker expressed. “I don’t want to preach, but we need to think together about how to come up with the best possible solution so that the players, the audience and the football governing body are all looking in the same direction.”

At this time, Mbappe is focusing on winning titles with PSG, and a little further away is Euro 2024 in Germany. After a disappointing Euro in 2021, where they lost to Switzerland in the 1/8 round, the French team is determined to go deeper and win the championship. “We are one of the most awaited teams in the tournament and are all ready and confident,” Mbappe emphasized. “We no longer have some great champions, extremely important players like Hugo Lloris and Varane, but the collective strength is not affected. That shows real cohesion and adaptability “.

There are also rumors about Mbappe attending the 2024 Olympics in his home city of Paris. The 25-year-old striker really wants to participate and win an Olympic medal, but admits he cannot make a decision on his own. “I’ve reached a stage in my life and career where I don’t want to force things anymore. If I’m called up, I’d love to go, but if that’s not possible, I completely understand,” he said. “For athletes, the Olympics have a special place. I wanted to attend Tokyo 2021 because I wanted to win everything and write my name in French football history as an important player.”

Mbappe also intends to write his own story off the field and he is well aware of his enormous influence. Perhaps other than Man City’s Haaland and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, no player under the age of 26 has a greater reputation than Mbappe. But he wants to use it to serve his own values, not just the interests of big brands.

The French striker also never hesitates to speak up about social issues, denouncing racism in the stands and on social networks as well as wanting to control the exploitation of the players’ image rights. Mbappe even refused to take promotional photos with the French team linked to a fast food chain or a betting company in early 2022. As a result, the French Football Federation (FFF) gave in and amended the agreements. about image rights from the 2022 World Cup.

In 2020, Mbappe launched Inspired by KM, a foundation that supports 98 young people in the Paris area, helping them participate in cultural events and entertainment activities with the aim of opening their minds to new opportunities. . “I was always raised to give back and share my good fortune,” he expressed. “Talent was the key to where I am today, but I was also helped by the luck of meeting the right people at the right time. Now that I’m in a position to pass it on, I want to help.” best possible next generation”.

Mbappe at the launch of an academy for children funded by his foundation. Photo: Inspired by KM

Mbappe used the example of basketball star LeBron James, whom he met in the US during a Nike advertising campaign a few years ago. “LeBron has gone much further than me in his career and his non-sports projects have cemented his position as a sports legend,” the French striker added. “Being able to take advice from inspirational figures like LeBron provides the opportunity to tweak my plan and create my own approach that is as effective as possible in helping today’s youth” .

Mbappe’s personal path may soon branch out when his current contract with PSG expires in June. After seven seasons of winning titles and records, as well as tensions and disappointments, the 25-year-old striker will continue to have to make a choice: continue to stay in the hope of PSG winning their first Champions League championship or find their own path elsewhere. He has been rumored to join Real for many years and received a salary offer of 775 million USD from Al Hilal in the summer of 2023, but refused.

Mbappe admits all that – along with carrying the hopes and dreams of French football – as a burden. “I have proven that pressure does not affect me negatively and I even said that I need it to perform at my best,” he asserted. “The pressure allows me to maintain the level of excellence required to compete at the highest level.”