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Mbappe addresses reports claiming he has influence in PSG boardroom

Published

2 years ago

May 24, 2022

The World Cup winner has spoken out on his decision to remain at Parc des Princes rather than make a move to Santiago Bernabeu.

Kylian Mbappe has explained that an element of sentimentality to help grow football even further in France informed his decision to pivot from a move to Real Madrid at the last hour after he renewed his stay at Paris Saint-Germain.

The France international was confirmed to have penned a new deal to stay at Parc des Princes through 2025 ahead of the club’s final Ligue 1 game of the season.

Speaking in a press conference on Monday, the World Cup winner acknowledged that a touch of home comfort played into his eventual call.

What has Mbappe said on his call to snub Madrid?
“Leaving my country like that, there is this sentimental side,” the forward admitted when discussing his reasons for the volte-face on his future, having seemed destined for La Liga until recent weeks.

“The project has changed. The club has changed a lot of things sportingly and I think my story is not over.

“I want to thank [Real Madrid’s supporters], they have always accepted me as one of their own. I understand their disappointment, but I hope they will understand that I am staying in my country. As a Frenchman, I want to help my country and grow the championship.”

What has Mbappe said about reported club control?
Following the news that he would remain at Parc des Princes, reports ran wild with suggestion that Mbappe would wield a dramatic increase of power at PSG, able to shape club transfer policy and effectively given directorial control of the team.

The forward has shot down those suggestions himsef however, insisting that he remains simply a member of the playing squad and nothing more.

“I remain a football player,” he added. “I remain anchored in [the] collective team effort. I remain a football player and I would not go beyond this function [or role].”