Kylian Mbappé gave a wide-ranging interview to AS ahead of Real Madrid’s derby against Atlético Madrid, discussing his life in Spain, José Mourinho, the Ballon d’Or, Yan Diomandé and his ambitions with the club.
On his move to Real Madrid, Mbappé insisted that nobody needed to convince him to join. Playing for the Spanish giants had always been his dream, even if the timing was not always right earlier in his career.*
“Nobody and nothing has to convince you to come to Real Madrid. Everyone around me knew that, at some point, I wanted to play here. There was never any doubt.”
The French striker also revealed that he has found greater peace in Madrid than he had in France.
“I feel calmer here. I wanted to discover a new culture and adapt quickly to Spain. Since I found my home, I’ve always been happy in Madrid.”
Mbappé spoke warmly about Florentino Pérez, describing him as “the best president in the world”, and also had particularly strong words for José Mourinho.
“With Mourinho, it’s different. He is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. He is a leader and a legendary coach. When you see him every day, you realise how special he is.”
Despite his obsession with scoring, Mbappé says he refuses to set himself a specific goal target.
“I never put limits on myself. Setting a number of goals means creating a limit, and I don’t want that. I just want to help the team in every game.”
He used Real Madrid’s recent match at Elche as an example of his team-first mentality. When he had the chance to shoot, Mbappé instead passed to Espi, who was in a better position.
“I prefer to win. Espi was alone and it was going to be a goal 100%. I never thought about shooting.”
On the Ballon d’Or, Mbappé remained cautious.
“Maybe I’ve had a good year, but it doesn’t depend on me. My job is to convince the people who vote through my football.”
The Frenchman also defended 19-year-old Yan Diomandé, whose huge transfer fee has increased expectations around him.
“People talk a lot about the €140 million and everything around it, but he is only 19. The quality is there. We saw it from his first day at Valdebebas. We have to protect him because we will need everyone this season.”
Asked about his relationships with Vinicius and Jude Bellingham, Mbappé explained that every teammate brings something different.
“There are situations where it works better with Jude, others with Vini, Güler, Brahim, Diomandé or Espi. Espi is going to score a lot of goals this season. He has that goalscorer’s instinct.”
🚨 La campagne de Mbappé pour le Ballon d'Or ne PLAÎT PAS à tout le monde au Real Madrid. @Romain_Molina ❌😬 pic.twitter.com/zODSC4VTA3
— RMadrid actu 🇫🇷 (@RMadrid_actu) September 17, 2026
Finally, Mbappé looked ahead to the derby against Atlético, describing it as the kind of match every player wants to experience.
“These are the games you want to play. There is tension, sacrifice, commitment and personality. We want to keep winning.”
His message to Real Madrid supporters was equally clear: stay demanding, but stay united.
“This is Real Madrid, so I understand the expectations. But if we want to win titles, we need the Bernabéu and our supporters. We have to move forward together, hand in hand.”
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