Mbappe quit PSG for Real Madrid to win the Champions League, just the summer before they actually won it without him
Kylian Mbappe has said he was “happy” to see his former club Paris Saint-Germain lift the Champions League trophy for the first time, just a year after he left the French side with the desire of winning the Champions League at Real Madrid.
PSG cruised to a historic 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in last week’s final, erasing years of near-misses and heartbreaks, including their 2020 loss to Bayern Munich.
Mbappe is not embarrassed that they won it without him after his contentious exit, but instead feels that the triumph was richly deserved.
“They’ve been through so many problems, I’ve been through that too,” Mbappe told reporters on Saturday. “I’ve experienced every phase of the Champions League except winning it. They were the best team in Europe. It’s 100% deserved.
“PSG won the Champions League without me, that doesn’t affect me. That’s a good thing. We all face challenges in our careers.”
While the 26-year-old scored 43 goals in his debut season at Real Madrid, winning the Pichichi award. However, Real ended the campaign without silverware, finishing second in La Liga and the Copa del Rey, and exiting the Champions League in the quarter-finals to Arsenal.
“Did I leave too soon? No. My story was over, it had to end,” said Mbappe.
Despite currently suing PSG over an issue of €55 million in unpaid wages, a case that has dragged acrimoniously between his and PSG’s lawyers for over a year, the forward said there was “no bitterness” regarding his exit and he had “reached the end of [his] tether”.
Mbappe also gave his backing to his former PSG teammate Ousmane Dembele for this year’s Ballon d’Or. Dembele has been in scintillating form over the past year, scoring 33 goals and providing 15 assists as PSG completed a historic treble.
“Would I vote for Dembele? Yes. Is there really any need to explain?” Mbappe said. “I’m going for Dembele. It’s very clear.”
