PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe has confirmed that during his recent on-pitch frustrations he verbally lashed out at team-mate Neymar and called his fellow strike partner a ‘tramp’.
In an all-revealing interview Mbappe has addressed the on-going situation with Neymar – after recently having been left frustrated that his regular strike partner was not passing to him on the pitch – along with his future in Paris and also his status with the national team. The Frenchman finally opted to break his silence and in a totally unexpected manner has given an eye-opening interview outlining that he indeed very much wanted to join Real Madrid this summer as well as also considering taking a break from Didier Deschamps’ France squad.
Speaking to daily publication L’Equipe, the forward confirmed that he had shouted out to Neymar and called his team-mate a ‘tramp’ (‘clochard’ in French) following his substitution during a recent match where he vented his full frustration on the bench after the Brazilian ace did not pass to him earlier on the pitch. Mbappe’s outburst happened at the same time he also spoke to RMC Sport, when he confirmed he wanted to depart PSG mid-summer to allow his club ample time to source a quality replacement.
The French giants have been going through some odd glitches this season despite being indisputably the strongest side in Ligue 1, and a distracted Mbappe has been seen on occasions cutting a lonely figure in training. The pent-up angst served to further boost the narrative that the French star wants out of PSG and is desperate to start a whole new chapter in the Spanish capital.
Mbappe has been particularly outspoken this week on his future, with speculation continuing to peak regarding his possible signing for Real Madrid at the end of the season as he will be out of contract next summer and has still failed to agree new terms in Paris. Madrid are also not shying away from their eagerness to get their man, and even saw bids exceeding £150m for the star rejected earlier this summer.
Although having now plainly admitted that he did want to leave Paris this summer and had conveyed his intentions to the club well before the summer transfer window, Mbappe has calmed down considerably and says his future at this very moment is not his sole priority; instead the focus is simply on the football right now.
Mbappe revealed: ‘What could make me stay at PSG? We’re far from it… since I wanted to leave Paris this summer. I’m not going to be the hypocrite, my ambition was clear. We will see what happens – my future is not my priority now
‘I am attached to PSG, and if I had left this summer, it would have only been for Real Madrid.
‘I continued playing in August and I had no problem with that. Why did I want to leave?
‘I thought my adventure was over. If I had left, it would only have been to Real Madrid. Leaving PSG was the next logical step.’
It is not only club football Mbappe has been weighing up either, with the forward outlining to L’Equipe that he has considered stepping away from the national shirt for a period, due to the criticism he received during the recent Euro 2020 tournament, which was ultimately won by Italy.
He said: ‘The most important thing is the French national team and if the French national team is happier without me, it is like that.
‘I received the message, that my ego was what made us lose, that I wanted to take up too much space, and that without me, therefore, we might have won.’
Despite a poor summer with France and then having the exit door blocked in his face by PSG, Mbappe insisted his levels of performance have not dropped as a result, and will not be doing so in the coming months either.
He added: ‘This season you will never see behavior from me like “You guys didn’t let me go, I’m going to take it easy”.
‘I love football too much and I have too much respect for PSG, and for myself, to ease off even one match.’