Mbappé reveals his one wish to change in his career

When Kylian Mbappé speaks, the world listens, and with good reason. The world’s best forward is preparing for another World Cup, his preferred stage, hoping to erase the sting of Qatar. He says he is ready, although he admits that memory still weighs heavily. A lot. He needs to rebuild himself to compete again.

“There are many memories, mostly the defeats, because if you relive them, maybe you can change the course of fate. For example, I would change Argentina 2022. That final comes to mind more than the one we won,” Mbappé said, with a mixture of nostalgia and regret.

The last World Cup was meant to be his moment. He arrived fired up, already carrying the aura of a global superstar and idol. France were dominant, and Mbappé was their spearhead, until Argentina arrived. In the final, he produced a historic performance that ultimately counted for nothing: four goals, and still he fell just short of his second World Cup title.

“It’s very hard to lose a World Cup final. First, because it happens only every four years. Many players from that match aren’t in this World Cup. The cruelty is there, it’s telling yourself we did all that only to lose on penalties. I don’t believe in luck; penalties aren’t a lottery. They’re a technical gesture, but they remain the cruelest way to lose a World Cup final,” he concluded.

Mbappé went from obscurity to international recognition in record time. He was still a teenager when he broke through at Monaco, winning Ligue 1 and becoming one of the most expensive transfers in history. France quickly fell for his talent. At 18, he won the World Cup, and the rest is history. He was never truly “nobody”. In the spotlight since his teens, he has learned to normalise and accept it.

“For people like me, a dream day is returning to simplicity: not being bothered, being able to do what you want, with whom you want, where you want. That has become a luxury for me, even though they are very simple things. But you should never complain about the love you receive from people.”

That said, he did not downplay the loss of privacy. Occupational hazard or not, he still raises his voice on it.

“It dehumanises us, it turns us a bit into circus animals. But everyone wants to know what I do, where and with whom… I’ve learned to understand it and more or less accept that it will always be part of my life. No one is prepared for that, but I can go out without security. I can live more than in France.”

“I don’t want to return to anonymity. It’s strange to see people who do the same job as I do, who play for the same clubs as I do, but who don’t have the same life as I do. I don’t dream of anonymity, but I do dream of being a little like my teammates who live off their passion without being spied on every moment of the day,” he concluded.

A year later, he surprised many by moving from Paris to Madrid. An open secret, he fulfilled his dream after years of shining at PSG. Despite his legacy, his exit was not entirely smooth, with complaints filed and a bittersweet aftertaste. For Mbappé, however, that moment does not tarnish his history in Paris, the club that gave him everything.

“President Nasser changed my life. Everyone only remembers the end, which is understandable because leaving PSG is almost impossible. I knew that by leaving I would end up in this situation. But before all that, I cannot lie, he did many things for my family and for me. When I have a conflict with someone and I believe I deserve to win it, I have no problem or scruple going all the way. But do not confuse everything: Nasser is someone I respect. Because if I am today at Real Madrid and captain of the French national team, Paris Saint-Germain and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi hold a central place,” he concluded.

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