PARIS (AP) — Kylian Mbappé has reaffirmed his commitment to France despite missing recent games, saying “there’s nothing bigger than the national team.”
The 2018 World Cup winner was left out for Nations League matches against Israel and Italy last month, with coach Didier Deschamps saying “ it’s better that way ” and adding that the player's struggles were physical and mental.
Mbappé is France's captain and was also absent from a previous gathering in October because of a minor thigh injury, but nevertheless played for Real Madrid.
“I’ve always said there’s nothing bigger than the national team,” Mbappé said on Sunday night during a television interview with Canal Plus. “My love for the France team hasn’t changed."
Deschamps' reference to his mental state led some observers to speculate Mbappé suffered from depression.
He took a moment to explain that he has not.
“There are people who really are in a depression and who should be helped. This is not a subject which should be taken lightly,” Mbappé said. “I am not going to claim that (I had a depression).”
However, he alluded to unfair treatment when saying “people ask a lot of me” as captain compared to his predecessor, the goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, and also took a swipe at those who questioned his dedication to France.
“I’ve always put it above anything else. I even gave my nose,” Mbappé said, referring to his broken nose at the European Championship this year.
Mbappé, who turns 26 on Dec. 20, is third on France’s all-time scoring list with 48 goals, only Thierry Henry (51) and Olivier Giroud (57) are ahead of him.
He scored a superb hat trick in the 2022 World Cup final, but his scoring ratio has dropped recently with two goals in the past 12 games for Les Bleus.
Mbappé said he gave the television interview because he’s had enough of people talking for him in recent weeks, when his struggles with Madrid have also been widely commented upon.
“When you’re a star, if you don’t talk, people talk in your place. That's why I'm talking now,” said Mbappé, who also spoke for the first time about reports of a rape investigation in Sweden.
Despite a difficult start to his Madrid career, he says he is “very happy” in Spain after a decade playing for Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain.
“You're jumping into the unknown because you’ve never left your country," he said. “I always dreamed of playing for Madrid. Always. It’s the biggest club in the world.”
Mbappé’s arrival created huge expectations that he would improve the record 15-time Champions League winner, but he has scored a modest 11 goals in 21 games.
There have been big penalty misses at Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao, and he was caught offside multiple times with mistimed runs when Madrid lost 4-0 at home to Barcelona. Club coach Carlo Ancelotti has defended Mbappé but also said he “can play better.”
Mbappé did not address his own performances further but acknowledged that Madrid's general level of play was "not at the level” fans expect.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press
