France forward Kylian Mbappe has spoken out about mental health and the weariness that champions can feel at certain points in their careers. For the Real Madrid player, this feeling “always” arises during international competitions.
“You’re locked away for about 60 days. When it’s the World Cup, nothing else matters and there’s no point trying to escape by watching the latest series or telly. If you switch it on, you know that’s all anyone will be talking about. The first few days are fine. But the further you go… I’ve played in two World Cups and been to two finals. Between the semi-final and the final, the world stops,” he explained in a lengthy interview with L’Équipe magazine.
“People are in front of the hotel and you’ve been there for sixty days, thinking: this is the biggest match of my life, but I can’t wait for it to be over so we can find out the result and move on. You don’t enjoy those four or five days. Between the impatience, the fact that nothing else exists and you have nothing else to do…”
“Books, TV series, games, anecdotes with your mates… Yeah, we saw each other for sixty days. (He laughs.) Even the ones I’m closest to, the ones I’m with 24/7… We chat a bit, but you can feel the atmosphere of ‘It has to happen’. The last few days, you’re isolated in your room, looking at the sky, waiting for it to be over.”
Although he is only 26 years old, Mbappe seems more than qualified to speak on the subject. A two-time World Cup finalist (in 2018 and 2022), he also reached the semi-finals of the European Championship with Les Bleus in 2024. In the United States, where France will once again be the favourites if they qualify, PSG’s all-time leading goalscorer could find himself in this situation once again. A source of fatigue that Mbappe finds difficult to talk about publicly.
“If I win the World Cup and you come to interview me three days later, I can say it (that I’m tired). You’re practically untouchable at that point. If you lose a match and say that, people will say you’re talking like that because you played badly. It doesn’t matter if I was already like that before the match… It’s all about timing in communication.”
In other words, it’s not necessarily important to know how to say it. It’s more about when. “You’re carried by the result anyway…,” he says.
That doesn’t mean Mbappe doesn’t want to experience more long competitions. Quite the contrary.
“Being tired doesn’t mean you don’t love what you do anymore. I’m still crazy about it. I dream about the World Cup final on 19th July in the United States morning, noon and night. The date is marked on my calendar. We have a great team, and I hope we’ll be there.”
With six points earned in its first two qualifying matches in the tournament, the French team, at the top of Group D, is well on its way to making the trip. Mbappe is clearly looking forward to it.
