In an interview with Sports Illustrated, PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe has again spoken about his decision to remain at the club in the summer when it looked like he would be joining Real Madrid.
Everything seemed set with regard to Mbappe’s move to the Santiago Bernabeu as a free agent until he made a last-minute swerve and decided to sign a new bumper contract with PSG, committing his future to the French club for three more years.
Mbappe has previously spoken about how conversations with France president Emmanuel Macron influenced his decision to remain at Parc des Princes. And, he has once again iterated that the phone calls with Macron played a key role in his staying at PSG.
“It was some calls from Macron. It was like December, January, February, March… Macron called me and said: ‘I know you want to leave. I want to tell you that you are also important in France. I don’t want you to leave. You have the opportunity to write history here. Everyone loves you,’” Mbappe said.
The French international added: “I told him I appreciated it because it’s really crazy. The president calls you and wants you to stay.”
Further elaborating on his decision, Mbappe added: “Of course, it was easier to go to Real Madrid. But I have this ambition. I’m French. I’m a child of Paris, and to win in Paris, it’s something really special. It writes your name in the history of your country for life.”
Mbappe also opened up on how his life had changed after winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup while also admitting that the criticism he faced after France’s UEFA Euro 2020 elimination also made him consider leaving the country.
