Mbappe Knows The Bad Side Of Football: If It Wasn't Out Of Passion, I Would Have Been Sick

JAKARTA - Kylian Mbappe criticized what happened behind the scenes of football in an in-depth interview with L'Equipe.

He said that if he didn't have this passion (for this sport), the world of football would have fed him up for a long time.

On Wednesday, September 10, 2025 WIB, Mbappe became the second-largest goalscorer of all time the French National Team (Timnas) surpassed Thierry Henry, and behind Olivier Giroud - by scoring a penalty goal in a 2-1 win over Iceland bringing his total international goals to 52.

In an hour-long conversation published in the L'Equipe newspaper on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, the Real Madrid forward discussed his personal life, national team, and unpaid legal disputes following his departure from Paris Saint-Germain.

"I am very fatal to the world of football. Namn, not about life. Life is beautiful. Football is how it is."

"I like to say that people who go to the stadium are lucky because they just come and watch shows and don't know what's going on behind the scenes."

"To be honest, if I didn't have this passion, the world of football would have disgusted me for a long time."

"The more money you have, the more problems you face. I would never advise my son to get involved in football," Mbappe said.

In July 2025, Mbappe withdrew the criminal charges against PSG--where he accused the abuse and attempted extortion--although he was still demanding more than 55 million euros in the form of salaries and bonuses, which the club said owed him.

The attacker left PSG in the summer of 2024 when his contract at Ligue 1 club expired, joining Real Madrid on a free transfer.

"That's my legal right, that's labor law. From the trial process, I seem to want to harm PSG."

"I signed a work contract and I just want to be paid. I'm not against PSG, I love the club, I have friends there. However, that's the only way to get what I'm supposed to get," Mbappe said, when asked why he was suing the case.

Mbappe denied that he had bad intentions towards PSG, who won their first Champions League title last season after his departure.

"I have friends in the team. Those who know me know that friendship is important to me. You can't spit on the team that has your friends in it."

"My story is over and I leave without regrets. Even the mistakes I made were part of my story. When I played there, we almost won."

"We didn't win and my time was up. Real Madrid contacted me, it was always my dream. I could have gone there early," said Mbappe.

France is at the top of Group D of the 2026 World Cup Qualification in the European Zone - after two wins from two matches so far - and will be one of the favorites to win the 2026 World Cup.

Mbappe said international tournaments were equally heavy off the field and on the pitch.

"During international tournaments, at some point, (you) are always (boring). You are confined for about 60 days."

"When the World Cup, nothing else is important. Between the semifinals and the finals, the world feels like it has stopped."

"You think, this is the biggest game of my life, but I can't wait for it to end so we can find out the results and continue."

"However, fatigue doesn't mean you don't love what you do. I'm still crazy about him."

"I dream of the World Cup final on July 19, 2026 in the United States, morning, afternoon, and evening. The date has been listed on my calendar," he said.

Mbappe further called Les Bleus the most talented team he has ever played for.

"Every position is played by the core players of the best clubs in the world. It's just a matter of how we can achieve it."

"However, as a team, we are not stronger than the team that won the 2018 World Cup, or the team that reached the final in 2022. Does this team have the potential to become the best team? 100 percent," said Mbappe again.