The French star Kylian Mbappe spoke in an extensive interview on The Bridge podcast, alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Achraf Hakimi, where he addressed many issues related to his football career and his life on and off the field.

Mbappe revealed his struggles after missing a penalty against Switzerland in the 2021 European Championship, which led to the French team's exit in the round of 16, stating that he was subjected to severe racial abuse on social media.

Mbappe said: "When I missed the penalty against Switzerland, I started receiving racial insults and comparisons to a monkey. I went on vacation and felt like a dead man walking on earth; I was in shock."

He added: "I requested a meeting with the then-president of the French Football Federation, Noël Le Graët, and told him that I no longer wanted to play for the national team. However, he told me to forget about it and that I would remain a national team player for 15 years."

The Real Madrid player also spoke about the Spanish coach Luis Enrique, praising his coaching abilities, saying: "He is a great coach and always speaks his mind honestly. Unfortunately, he was with me in my last season with Paris Saint-Germain, and that season was full of ups and downs, so I couldn't enjoy working with him as I had hoped."

Mbappé also touched on Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League victory after his departure from the club, affirming that he felt he had closed an entire chapter in his career with the team after spending seven years there.

Regarding his role model in football, Mbappe said: "The first player who was my role model was Zinedine Zidane, and after him came Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano, as a forward, demonstrated all possible styles of play because he has different versions of himself and can do everything."

He also praised his former teammate Lionel Messi, recalling an incident that happened between them during a training session at Paris Saint-Germain. He said, "We were practicing shooting; Neymar and I scored six or seven times out of ten attempts, but Messi shot nine times and scored nine goals in exactly the same way. I looked at the goalkeeper and said to him: Don't you see what he's doing? It was amazing."

The French star concluded his remarks about the criticism he faces for his limited participation in defensive duties by saying: "I am a player who sometimes defends less than others, but when I do, it has a significant impact on the team."