Mbappé: Neymar is "above all the rest"
At France's Clairfontaine training camp, Kylian Mbappé spoke about the defeat against Holland, the upcoming game against Uruguay, and PSG team-mates Cavani and Neymar.
What are your feelings about the defeat in Rotterdam?
It happens but it wasn’t a good moment to lose. Was there fatigue? Yes. But we are great players, we are supposed to play 60 games per season. We haven’t been able to respond collectively or individually. Apart from Hugo (Lloris), no player stood out, and we can say that the performance was concerning.
So France-Uruguay (Tuesday, 21:00 CET) will be less of a friendly?
Yes. It will be important to respond… to play a complete game in front of our home crowd, showing our best side.
In Marseille, you confirmed yourself as leader at PSG. Is it a possible for you to give a speech with the national team?
When I speak, I’m only speaking on the field. Off the field, I’m only a player with 20 international caps and you have to know how to stay in your place. But also I have to assume responsibility in difficult moments. We didn’t know how to do that on Friday.
Did you send a message to Cavani to get him fired up?
Cavani is already fired up, it’s not necessary (laughs). I sent Neymar a Whatsapp with the video of Cavani’s foul, and he laughed (Cavani was booked for a nasty challenge on PSG team mate Neymar in a friendly match between Brazil and Uruguay on Friday night). Really it’s nothing, they were defending their countries and it won’t prevent them from playing together at PSG and giving each other big hugs.
Are you the same player with France and PSG?
No, PSG is different, there is one great player above all the rest, Neymar… In the national team, we are all at same level.
What do you want now, when you are a world champion at 20?
The Champions League, a clean sweep in France (with PSG), good health, the European Championship within two years (smiles). Winning, winning is what I want.
