"What's coming will be very exciting, I won't be far away"

After announcing his departure from PSG at the end of the season last Friday and bidding farewell to the Parc des Princes on Sunday, Kylian Mbappe was at the UNFP gala on Monday to receive the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award and gave a speech from the stage of the Pavillon D'Armenonville.

"You can prepare as much as you want, but when the moment comes, it always makes you feel something. I have tried to take the championship as high as possible. It's a chapter of my life that is coming to an end. Ligue 1 still has an important place in my life. I have tried to do justice to be a worthy representative of this championship. I'm leaving with my head held high," began the player from Bondy, who had words of thanks for Monaco, PSG, Nasser Al-Khelaifi and the Emir of Qatar.

"I couldn't have done it without Monaco and, of course, without PSG, where I played alongside exceptional players. I want to thank everyone at the club, whether it's the coach, who has always trusted me, the staff, the medical staff, everyone at the club, the sporting directors or the president. To the shareholder who trusted me, to His Highness the Emir who came to sign me when I was 18 and invested in me. Thanks also to everyone here. You have all influenced my career in Ligue 1. The opponents have given me the strength to excel. I watch all the matches. I'm going to miss you," he said.

Mbappe is very clear about where he is going and called it "exciting", although he did not say the specific place during his speech but did give a hint: "I am here to say thank you and to repay the trust that was placed in me. I want to thank my family, who have always supported me in good times and bad. My father wanted me to make championship history before I left. I would like to thank all of them. It has been a long journey and I am very happy. Goodbye or see you soon, I won't be far away".

This farewell "tears my heart a little bit, I'm leaving my country, I'm starting a new life. We are human and we have our weaknesses and emotions, and this job doesn't always allow you to express what you feel. There is a lot of pressure and demands. Today I'm a 25-year-old kid who has completed a cycle and who leaves a lot of feelings behind," he said.

And finally, Mbappe made no secret of the fact that he would like to play in the Paris Olympics, although he acknowledged that it will be difficult. "Everyone knows the situation. It doesn't depend on me. Whatever happens, I'll be happy. The Olympics go beyond whether I'm there or not. I hope we can show that France is a sporting country and that we know how to welcome the world," he concluded.

 

May 13, 2024