Kylian Mbappé gave an extensive interview to the German newspaper Sport Bild in which, with only two days to go before the start of the Eurocup, spoke of the options of the French team to win the title. He also revealed who is the teammate who tried to persuade him to leave PSG and explains why he is still not at the height of Cristiano Ronaldo. AS reproduces the entire interview:
Sport Bild: Mr Mbappé, let's start with this photo. He shows him as a child in his room, with posters of Cristiano Ronaldo all over the walls. Do you remember what you were thinking when this photo was taken? Kylian Mbappé: I was a child who dreamed of many things. Especially from a career like Ronaldo's. When Cristiano plays, he makes everyone who watches him happy, and he has done so for 15 years. I think all football fans love Cristiano Ronaldo. I was a normal kid in that sense.
Are you already as good as him? No. Cristiano has already made history. I've only been playing for five years, so I still can't compare myself to him. For me, it is also a matter of respect. Cristiano has done so much for football in general that it would not be a good time to make comparisons. There are few footballers like him, just by watching him I have learned a lot.
Do you want to make your mark on football in the same way? Of course yes. That is the reason why I play soccer. I also want to spread joy among the spectators, all over the world. And win trophies during that process, of course.
Two top-level rivals await him at the Euro, Germany and Portugal. Which game will be more difficult? The one from Germany. Because it is our first match. The German team is full of young and very ambitious players. In addition, they have returning players like Thomas Müller. We will have to give 100% against both rivals, otherwise we will not achieve our goal: the first place in the group. I also wonder all the time how the reigning world champions, the European champions and the 2014 world champions can be in the same group. But that will probably be right (laughs).
Which German player would you like to have on your team? Appointing only one would be unfair to the others. Germany have an exceptional team with a very strong collective. And of course they have a very good goalkeeper, which is still important to me.
Manuel Neuer. Yes, Neuer is one of the best goalkeepers in the history of football. I have played against him several times, so I know him very well. But of course I'll take another look at him before and go through everything to see what he particularly likes and dislikes. That will help me shoot him.
What do you not like? I won't say it now (laughs).
Who are the favorites in the Eurocup? First of all, it must be said that the last four world champions were all European, so in this tournament we are talking about the best football in the world. I hope not to forget any nation: France, Portugal, Germany, England, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands are, in my opinion, the strongest. And then there is usually a surprise team, I remember Iceland well in the last European Championship. It was amazing what they did.
With Lucas, Pavard, Tolisso and Coman, there are four Bayern players who play for the French national team. Has none of them tried to convince you to come to Munich? Yes, Lucas has told me to come to Bayern Munich.
Can you imagine it? In football, you never know what will happen. But I am very happy at the moment.
Ten months ago, he lost the Champions League final against Bayern. Is this club becoming your biggest rival in the fight for the title at the club level? Bayern are one of the five best clubs in the world. They can only be congratulated on how they manage to maintain the quality of their squad every year. They just know what they are doing. Now Boateng and Alaba have left and Upamecano has arrived, who is an excellent defense. They have a clear concept that makes them a great club. And yes: they are always favorites to win any title. So I will always have to win against Bayern in the future if I want to win a trophy.
He already had a German coach: Thomas Tuchel coached him at PSG from 2018 to 2020. What have you learned the most from him? The tactical aspect. It is fantastic in that area. He knows exactly how opponents behave, he can predict matches very accurately. And you have to remember that he is still a very young coach. You can become one of the best of the future. He proved it with his victory in the Champions League.
I congratulate? No, not yet. He wanted to write him a message, but he rarely reads them on his mobile. So I wrote to your assistants to tell them to send you my congratulations. After the European Championship I will call him, because I have a very good relationship with him.
He's an extremely fast player so there should be some quick questions. Ok, let's go!
Play or book? Play.
Wine or beer? Wine.
Lewandowski or Haaland? Phew. Lewandowski.
David Guetta or Ed Sheeran? David Guetta.
Foot or head? Foot.
Champions League or The Best? Champions League.
Early or late? I am an early riser.
Beach or city? Beach.
That also hits his partner Neymar. Watching you in Paris, he is never usually too far from you. Certain. He is one of my best friends. There are many people who speak ill of their attitude. Maybe it's because of some scenes at the World Cup where he was out from time to time. But I can assure you that he really is a good guy. The image that many have of him in their heads is not true. I think people would have to know him better to judge him.
What was the nastiest joke you played on him? We actually joke all the time. And our lives are also full of bets of all kinds. It starts when we are warming up, for example, who is going to score the most goals in the session. We often ask other players to join. With a dinner as a bet. It's good for both of us to be able to motivate each other and keep our spirits up.
Lothar Matthäus believes that he will be the star of the Eurocup. Are you a good analyst? Terrific (laughs). Seriously, Lothar is a legend, I would like to meet him sometime. I can only thank him for his words, but of course I will have to perform on the field first. I am far from saying: of course I will be the best player in the championship.
If you were a defender: How would you defend yourself? How can it be stopped? Hard to say. I would probably come up with the tactic of putting on two marks for most of the time. But I think I play for a team so powerful that I could counter tactics like that. Because my teammates are so good that they can always take the rivals off my back.
At 22 years old, he is already one of the great stars of the Eurocup. How do you deal with that pressure? It does not put pressure on me. It's soccer. And to play football you have to be very focused, but also relaxed. The race is too short to stress too much.
Have you always been like this? Basically yes. Maybe not in school, it was different back then. Because I didn't like school and I had to fight a lot to finish it. Even then my impulse was football, and today it continues to be that way. It is not a job, it is a passion. And I just want to give something back to my country.
He grew up in a fairly poor suburb of Paris. Do you still go there often? Occasionally. When I was proclaimed world champion with France, I went back to my hometown to show them the trophy. And I gave them my first football boots. It was my thanks to the people there. It was nothing big, just a gesture. But it was important for me to do it. Because the people there, along with my parents, taught me what respect means. That is where I learned to love football. And that's where my story began.