Kylian Mbappé reflected on a youthful mistake with PSG in 2018, just before the Clasico against Marseille.
It was a major controversy during the 2018 Clasico between Marseille and PSG. Kylian Mbappé and Adrien Rabiot were absent from the starting lineup for « disciplinary » reasons in the match against Marseille. Thomas Tuchel, the coach at the time, had punished both players for a slight delay attributed to watching the end of the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid match a few hours earlier.
« A great team relies on leaders. I think I can assume that role, and I did it today, » he remarked after the match in 2018.
Five years later, Mbappé has matured and looks back on that episode. « Why a special match? I screwed up (laughs)! I arrived late to the team talk. I was watching another match. That’s it, punishment, you pay for it. I came in a little after the break. When you come in, you’re eager for revenge. Moreover, it’s a match that everyone watches, a match that, as a player, you love to play. And when you watch from the sidelines, it hurts. »
« But in the end, I come in, I score right away. I was hungry. Thinking about the next Clasico? You think about it because it’s a new opportunity to make history, to leave your mark on the Clasicos, to burn it into memory. These are matches that everyone watches. And it’s always a pleasure to go there and win. I hope we will go there and win again. »