Months after he sensationally rejected Real Madrid’s offer to stay at Paris Saint Germain after it was previously taken for granted that he would be leaving for Spain, superstar Kylian Mbappe has admitted that the French President Emmanuel Macron had personally requested him to stay at Paris Saint-Germain.
The 23-year-old Mbappe was on the verge of leaving for Spanish giants Real Madrid on a free transfer following the expiry of his PSG contract given that it has been a boyhood dream for him to play for that club. However, things turned around quickly as Mbappe changed his mind in May and went on to sign a new three-year deal with the Parisians.
That decision ended, well at least for the time being, one of the most high-profile and long-running transfer sagas in recent years with neither Mbappe nor Madrid shying away from expressing their fondness for each other in public.
“I never imagined I’m gonna talk with the president [Macron] about my future,”
Mbappe told the New York Times.
“It’s something crazy, really something crazy. He told me: ‘I want you to stay. I don’t want you to leave now. You are so important for the country… Of course, when the president says that to you, that counts.”
During the same interview, Mbappe also revealed that it was Paris Saint Germain’s sporting project and what they are trying to build on the pitch that eventually convinced him to stay instead of their financial offers, because, in his own words, “Everywhere I go I’m going to get money. I’m this type of player everywhere I go.”
The big-money player certainly made the difference when PSG took on Juventus in the opening group-stage fixture in the UEFA Champions League last night. He scored a brace of goals at the Parc des Princes that sealed the match 2-1 in favour of the home side.
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