Kylian Mbappe, voted man of the match in Real Madrid's 2-1 victory over Olympique Marseille in their Champions League opener, spoke to the press after the win and assured them that he is not thinking about becoming the team's leader, but rather about helping his teammates.
Kylian Mbappe stole the show once again at the Santiago Bernabeu after shining in the Champions League opener against Olympique Marseille, reaffirming himself as the undisputed star of Xabi Alonso's Madrid.
The Frenchman, who scored twice, said he sets himself no limits and does not think about whether or not he is the leader of the team. “I want to score as many goals as possible. I don't set myself limits. I want to help the team; if that means scoring a lot of goals, pressing, providing assists... Whatever it takes,” he said on Movistar+.
"I feel great. I don't think about being the leader or one of them. I think about being myself and helping my teammates. I feel good in the team, there are many players younger than me and I hope to help them bring out their best and win titles,“ said the Frenchman. ”It's a pleasure to experience another Champions League night here. It was a difficult night because we played with ten men for a while, but we brought out the spirit of the Champions League at the Bernabru. Here we always have the experience of knowing that we can win," he said.
On the other hand, he explained how Xabi Alonso, his coach since this season, asks him and his teammates to make an extra effort in pressing to recover the ball. “He - Xabi - wants us to recover the ball quickly. We have to understand what we're doing. We have good communication with him and we're clear about what we have to do for the club,” he analysed.
“I do what the coach wants me to do. Always. Today, he asked me to press and help the team, keeping the block high to recover lots of balls. The more we get used to doing it, the easier it will be,” he added. He also gave his opinion on Facundo Medina's handball, which led to the second penalty of the match that he converted, and was critical of the lack of clear criteria.
“The handball issue is very complicated. Sometimes they say that all handballs are penalised, then they don't... For me, it's a penalty, but I can understand people who say it's not: everyone is confused by the rule,” concluded Mbappe.