New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) Kylian Mbappe claimed he was unfazed by Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) first-ever Champions League victory, which they did in thumping fashion with a 5-0 win over Inter Milan. The French striker has never won the Champions League and was a part of the Parisian side that lost against Bayern Munich in the summit clash in 2020.
“I was happy, they deserved it, they’ve been through so many problems, I’ve been through that too. I’ve been through every stage of the Champions League except winning it,” Mbappé told reporters on Saturday. “They were the best team in Europe. I can’t remember ever seeing them go 5-0 up. It’s 100% deserved, they’re becoming the team everyone wants to beat.”
“PSG won the Champions League without me, that doesn’t affect me. That’s a good thing. I think we all face challenges in our careers,” Mbappe was quoted as saying by ESPN.
Mbappe joined Real Madrid after his seven-year stint at PSG, which saw him become the club’s all-time top scorer. The relationship between the two ended on a sour note, with reports of PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Mbappe being involved in a verbal argument also emerging. He also took his former club to court over 55 million euros in unpaid wages.
Mbappe added that his time at PSG was over and he has no regrets about moving on.
“I’m a bit more in the eye of the storm, which is good. I’ve always liked being in these positions, it’s up to me to work. I’ve reversed quite a few trends in my career, I’ve had a lot of things stuck on my back, and I’ve managed to get them off.
“Did I leave too soon? No, my story was over; it had to end. There was no bitterness, I’d reached the end of my tether,” Mbappe added.
In his debut season at Real Madrid, Mbappe scored 43 goals across all competitions, the most for any player in his first season with the Los Blancos but had to endure going trophyless after losing out on the La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de Espana to FC Barcelona and losing 1-5 on aggregate against Arsenal in the quarterfinals.
–IANS
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