For the first time since his return to the French national team, Kylian Mbappé spoke at a press conference before facing Croatia.
Two goals in his last 12 matches with Les Bleus.
It’s going to be important to come back, win matches, and score goals, but statistics don’t concern me. I want to win against Croatia and move into the top four.
Did you feel the need to share moments with your teammates and explain certain things?
No, it was more the joy of being back with the squad and the national team. Most of my teammates talk very often; many of them I go on vacation with. It was more about being back with the French national team. Internally, the explanation has always been very clear; externally, it was more vague.
In your recent interviews, you’ve given the impression that you’re not looking beyond the 2026 World Cup. Is that intentional?
It’s intentional. All my thoughts are focused on the 2026 World Cup. I have to devote all my energy to it. It’s the goal of this entire team, and as captain, I have to be focused on it, to try and achieve the dream of becoming world champion.
What percentage of fitness are you at, physically?
I don’t know, but I think it’s high. I feel good, happy to be playing football.
Ousmane Dembélé’s emergence could allow you to return to the left wing. Is that good news for you?
He’s another string to our bow. Ousmane can provide more options. Seeing his current form, it’s great. We’ll be even more unpredictable in matches. We just need to coordinate our movements well, but we know each other inside out.
What’s the biggest lesson he’s learned from the last few months?
The lesson I’ve learned is that a career isn’t linear. You can be at the top and go down. You have to focus on yourself and what makes you happy. You have to focus on work. If I had something I could do better, it would be to play better.
Some people misinterpreted your behavior in September.
Yes, I can understand. I have this quality of being clear-headed. Afterwards, I had reasons that may or may not be explainable. But I have no problem questioning myself. I never have a problem with criticism when it’s well-reasoned. Afterward, you have to move forward and not repeat the same mistakes.
The banners that targeted Adrien Rabiot and his family at the Parc des Princes last Sunday.
I spoke with Adrien, he’s affected. It’s not easy to be in this situation; not many people know what it feels like. I don’t understand; it goes beyond the PSG-Rabiot episode. I don’t understand why you talk about your family when you have a problem with a player; I don’t understand this annoying habit of talking about people’s families. If a journalist writes a bad article, I’m not going to talk about his wife, his family, his father…
It’s something we’ve seen elsewhere besides the Parc, notably with Barcola in Lyon, and I hope it will serve as an example for all stadiums because we’re a bit fed up. We can accept things, but there are limits. As players, we can accept the jokes; it’s part of our job, but limits are crossed, and attacking family is something we don’t want to see.
How do you win the Ballon d’Or?
I’ll ask Luka Modric; he should know! He’s a legendary player that everyone here knows and respects. He’s 39 years old, still performing well at the best club in the world. Tomorrow, I’ll meet him as a rival, but we had a fight yesterday. I’ll ask him how to win the Ballon d’Or; he’ll tell me (laughs).
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