« The French Team is Not My Team »: Mbappé Justifies Himself After Five Months of Silence

Since June 15, Kylian Mbappé had not spoken in a press conference. He returned this Friday with a clear message: he is just the captain.

« The French team is not the Mbappé team. » The captain of the French national team wanted to emphasize this for his first statement in many months. « The last time I spoke was in June, and I announced from my first statement that I would not attend all press conferences. »

« I had said that I was not Antoine’s superior, and he did the next three press conferences. After that, we left the door open to others. It is a desire to share leadership. I am not afraid to come here, but the French team is not my team. »

« There are many faces I have already seen in press conferences. I have never been someone who hides or is afraid of something. I have always assumed. (In June) I sent my letter, I came a week later to Gibraltar. Out of eleven questions, I had nine questions about PSG, one about the Olympic Games, and one about the Gibraltar match because I asked for it. I am not afraid to come here. The French team is not my team. It belongs to no one; we are all in the service of this team. There are several leaders, I am one of them, and that’s why I am here today (Friday). »