It’s an open house for Kylian Mbappé. After interviews given to Prime Video and France 2, for the program “Envoyé Spécial”, broadcast on Thursday, Kylian Mbappé also spoke to the magazine GQ, where he brushes aside all the subjects, except that of his future, obviously. The PSG striker, at the end of his contract in June, particularly mentions his desire to play in the Olympic Games this summer, at home.
“For any athlete, the Olympics have a special place, and I already wanted to go to Tokyo [en 2021], because I want to win everything and write my name in the history of the France team as that of a player who mattered. » But the Kid from Bondy knows very well that the final choice does not belong to him. PSG (or its future club, such as Real Madrid) would therefore have to agree to release him for this meeting which is not included in the Fifa calendar.
“I have reached a stage in my life and my career where I no longer want to force things,” explains Kylian Mbappé. If they let me do them, I will go with great pleasure but if it is not possible, I will understand. » If Thierry Henry, the Espoirs coach, chose him, Mbappé would have a busy summer, following the Euro and the Olympics. Even if the Parisian deplores an increasingly frantic pace, he does not mind playing a lot of matches.
The same model as in the NBA?
“Personally, I am not against playing so much, but we will not be able to be good every time and give the public the expected show,” warns the French international. We are approaching the NBA model, with seasons of seventy games. In the NBA, players do not play every game and franchises practice load management [laisser au repos, des stars de l’effectif qui ne sont pas blessées]. But today, if I decided to say “I’m tired, I’m not playing on Saturday”, it wouldn’t work. »
Kylian Mbappé develops his thoughts: “The spectator who pays for his ticket, and who will perhaps see you only once in the season, wants to witness a performance worthy of the name and that is normal. However, it is a different mode of management to which football is exposed if the number of matches increases. I don’t want to be a lecturer, but we must think together to succeed in offering the best possible show and for players, spectators and authorities to come together. »