Kylian Mbappe Opens Up On Issues With French Team: 'My Ego Was What Made Us Lose'

Kylian Mbappe revealed he was told his ego was what made them lose referring to their loss in the Euros 2020, before adding if the French national team is “happier without me, I’ll go.”

Mbappe missed a penalty during France’s Round of 16 clash with Switzerland that led to Les Bleus’ elimination from Euros 2020.

"I have never taken a single euro to play for the French national team and I will always play for my national team for free. Above all, I never wanted to be a problem. But from the moment where I felt like that I was starting to become a problem and that people felt I was a problem. I received the message, that my ego was what made us lose, that I wanted to take up too much space and that without me, therefore, we might have won," Mbappe told French publication L'Equipe.

The 22-year-old Mbappe made his international debut in 2017. He has so far netted 17 goals and provided 16 assists in 49 appearances for the French national team.

"The most important thing is the French national team and if the French national team is happier without me, I'll go," added Mbappe.

The former Monaco forward, who was a vital cog of the French team that won the FIFA World Cup in 2018, was insulted and called a "monkey" after the penalty miss in the Euros 2020.

"I met with the president (Noel Le Graet) and we talked about it. What I went to complain to him about was that I was insulted and called a 'monkey' for missing a penalty. That is not the same thing. I will never complain about a penalty. The penalty, I was the one who missed it," added Mbappe in the same interview.

The PSG superstar said his teammates came to see him in the dressing room after the match but he only wishes he could have been supported more, both on the field soon after the penalty miss and when he received abuse on social media.

"I could have [gotten more on-field support], I agree. But I would have never gone to demand it, it is not the same thing. Of course, that would have been nice, but I would never go ask for support on something that I messed up. You can't look at things in too cynical a manner: in the heat of the moment, everyone is disappointed about being eliminated. In the dressing room, later on, the players came to see me. What shocked me, again, was being called a monkey for the penalty. That is what I wanted support around, not because I took my penalty to the left and Sommer stopped it," Mbappe further explained.

In the 2021-22 campaign, Mbappe has managed only four goals in 11 matches for PSG, across all competitions, apart from providing five assists.