Kylian Mbappé said he was happy to see his former team Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League for the first time despite having left the club a year ago in acrimonious circumstances to join Real Madrid.
PSG thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 last weekend to win Europe’s premier club competition, having lost in the 2020 final to Bayern Munich.
“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.”
Mbappé left PSG on a free transfer last year as the team’s all-time top scorer, but the 26-year-old took his former club to court over €55 million ($62.67m) in unpaid wages.
Mbappé scored 43 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid but they failed to win any major trophy, finishing runners-up in LaLiga and the Copa del Rey to Barcelona while getting knocked out in the Champions League quarterfinals by Arsenal.
But the France forward said there were no hard feelings as he watched his former teammates lift the trophy they had coveted for years.
“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,” Mbappé said.
“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.”
Mbappé also said he would vote for PSG forward Ousmane Dembélé over Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal to win the Ballon d’Or for the best player of the year.
Dembele scored 33 goals and made 15 assists in all competitions as PSG also won the Ligue 1 title and the French Cup to accomplish a rare treble.
“Would I vote for Dembele? Yes. Is there really any need to explain?… I’m going for Dembele. It’s very clear,” he said.
