French striker Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint Germain, lamented the departure of Argentine Lionel Messi and stated that he is “happy” to remain at the club. The player reiterated that he did not ask to be transferred, nor to go to the Real Madrid. The statements were given this Wednesday to the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I just confirmed that I will not activate the additional year foreseen in the contract. We never discussed an extension with PSG, but I am happy to stay here next season”, said Mbappé in the interview, carried out during the concentration of the French team for the games against Gibraltar and Greece in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
The striker, who is interested in Real Madrid, announced on Tuesday that he will not extend his contract with PSG, which leaves him free to negotiate with another club at the end of next season. Such a decision opened all kinds of speculation about his future, including a possible departure in the current transfer window so that the French club does not lose him for free next year.
Mbappé also lamented the departure of Messi, “potentially the best player in football history”, who left PSG for Inter Miami, from the United States.
“The news is never good when someone like Messi is leaving. I don’t understand why so many people were relieved when he left,” he said.
“We’re talking about Messi, we have to respect him. He didn’t get the respect he deserved in France. It’s a shame, but it happened. We’ll have to do what we can to replace him,” he added.
In the same interview, Mbappé also spoke about racism, highlighting that it is time to “change things”, after the insults received by the Brazilian Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) in Spain and the Belgian Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan) in Italy.
“We must all leave the field (when a racist act occurs). If we leave, they will understand that the situation is serious. Complaining is not enough”, said the captain of the French team, who called for “more solidarity between the players”.
“In 2023, we cannot allow a minority to spoil the pleasure of football. In addition to money and celebrity status, we play to convey to the fans the pleasure of playing and watching football. If they call you a monkey, you lose the will to continue”, concluded Mbappé.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
