He was expected, he responded. After a failed first leg match at the Parc des Princes (2-3), Kylian Mbappé was one of the architects of PSG’s qualification for the semi-final of the Champions League by scoring two goals against FC Barcelona this Tuesday evening. After savoring this victory in the locker room of the Montjuic stadium, he came to express in front of a crowd of French and Spanish journalists, on the lookout for the slightest statement from the world champion, all his pride in playing for the capital club. Without getting excited, with moderation, the striker now hopes that PSG’s route will take the direction of Wembley, the stadium for the final on June 1st. Once his media intervention was over, he approached Xavi, the FC Barcelona coach, to give him a warm hug.
Do you feel even more proud to be Parisian after this superb evening for PSG?
KYLIAN MBAPPE. I’m proud to be here since day one. It’s not because there are good times or bad times that my pride takes a hit. I have this pride in playing for this club, in representing this club in the capital of my country, it’s something special for me who grew up here. Of course, evenings like this as a Parisian are great. But here we are, we have passed one more stage and we must remain calm.
Do you feel closer to realizing your dream of winning the Champions League?
I dream of winning the Champions League with Paris, that’s for sure. It’s one more step that we took against a great team. I wish them a lot of luck, but now it’s our turn and we’re going to do everything we can to get to Wembley.
Today you scored two goals, but in the first leg you were criticized. What do you answer to that?
That we are ready to go to the final. We are a great team, we had a great match as a team, as a group. We worked for six days, with the idea that we were going to win and it is sure that it is a great day for the club. It’s awesome. And congratulations to all the staff and staff of the team.
Your attachment to PSG has grown after this qualification?
Even if we had lost, I would still be proud to be Parisian. But on such an evening, the pride is even greater. We are very happy, we beat a team that we wanted to beat. I really want to say congratulations to the group. We prepared for the match for six days with the idea that we were going to win in Barcelona and that we were going to come and qualify. We are really very happy.
A word about communion with the supporters. Was it important to you to celebrate this victory with them?
This victory is for them too. The supporters had a long journey, it was complicated for them. We were not helped in the organization of the match, in terms of places. It was a hassle! We thought of them and we are very happy. I hope everyone can come home, take care, take care of yourselves, your families. We all continue together towards the semi-finals.
