Mbappé: This is my opinion on Mourinho, and a player who scores is not a problem

Kylian Mbappé, the forward for Real Madrid, has responded to criticism that claims his numerous goals could adversely affect the team's collective performance, asserting that scoring goals cannot be considered a problem for any team.

Kylian Mbappé said in a lengthy interview with "L'Équipe": "This discourse doesn't mean much. If I don't score, they will say: why? In every match, there are millions of coaches, and each one has their own opinion."

"Football is about scoring goals and scoring one more than the opponent. A player who scores is never a problem within the team. It's more about football sensitivity; all players are selfish, from the goalkeeper to the striker. And it's not disrespectful to say that some positions don't matter to us sometimes."

"The striker is always in the spotlight. He must take the limelight, sometimes deservedly and sometimes not. I have managed to score goals in matches where other players were better than me, but in football, scoring is the hardest and most valuable thing. So it is natural to sometimes receive glory, and at other times the opposite."

Kylian Mbappé stated: "Defensively, I can offer more to help my team. Offensively, I can be more effective, as I find it easy to create chances for myself. In Europe, there are no players capable of creating this number of chances for themselves like I do. The spots at the top are limited, and I don't want to lose my place." He also spoke about his development as he nears thirty, saying: "Yes, I can develop throughout my career. This is one way of being intelligent: to see that the game is constantly changing and evolving. Football has become very tactical, with a high tempo, and coaches have much greater control over their teams. You have to adapt. Football waits for no one." He added his first impression of José Mourinho: "He is very smart! I was amazed by this man's intelligence. After that, I'm not surprised. You don't become José Mourinho if you're not like that, but you can see he knows what he's doing and where he wants to go. For players, it's important to have a clear direction to follow. With him, we have everything to do things well." Mbappé revealed a funny piece of advice he received from Mourinho, saying: "He told me: score goals (laughs)." When asked what he expects from Mourinho, Mbappé replied: "Simply to make me play, after that, I believe I can adapt. I don't have any special expectations. For him to be himself is quite enough."