Mbappé rues leaving PSG before Champions League triumph

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·10 de septiembre de 2025

Mbappé rues leaving PSG before Champions League triumph

Kylian Mbappé, 26-year-old forward for Real Madrid and the French National Team, was "trapped" by the irony of football. It's the season after his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, in the summer of 2024, that the club finally won the first Champions League in its history. The player who spent 7 years in the capital was invited to reflect on this point during an interview with L’Equipe.

Mbappé: "You might think I'm a damn jinx"

"Sure, when you analyze it quickly like that, you might think I'm a damn jinx (laughs). PSG strengthened, was always getting closer... We lost to Dortmund after shooting forty times, eight times hitting the bar... I still can't explain to you how we didn't make it, honestly. At PSG, it's year II of Luis Enrique, the team hasn't changed, you strengthen well with a great transfer window, especially with Pacho...

Mbappé: "I could have gone earlier..."

I have friends in the team, and those who know me understand that friendship is important to me. You can't badmouth a team where your friends are, even if it hadn't been PSG. My story was over, and I left without regrets. Even the things I did wrong are part of my story. When I played there, we were very close to the goal, we reached two semi-finals. We didn't win, and my time passed. Real called me, it has always been my dream, I could have gone earlier..."

Of course, Mbappé won't delve into tactical details or performances, anyway, it's a topic that has already been thoroughly discussed. Even if there are still skeptics. We can talk about a bit of bad luck, with some journeys stopped just short, notably his last one with those incredible matches against Dortmund.

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There was still collective progress last year, with an impressive strength of character and efforts that seem to have made the difference. This could be the extra factor that allowed them to win. Like having an Ousmane Dembélé at the peak of his career's effectiveness. Mbappé's departure also pushed others to take on more responsibilities, and they managed to do it very well.

We still note that there won't be a clear self-questioning from Mbappé, we hope he has done it privately to move up a level. The little reminder that he could have left for Real Madrid wasn't necessary. There's a bit of a feeling that the forward is reaffirming that he was almost generous with PSG by staying so long. At least, he made this "effort" for the club. It's somewhat unappreciated and still a bit awkward, especially as the Champions League was won right after his departure.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.