France and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) attacking forward Kylian Mbappe is all set to feature in the upcoming Qatar World Cup 2022 and will hope to bag his second consecutive win on the global stage when the tournament gets underway on November 20.
France's 2018 FIFA World Cup-winning moment will remain an unforgettable day in the life of sensational forward Kylian Mbappe. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star has emerged as one of the brightest talents in the sport in recent times and would aim to lead Les Bleus to its second consecutive win on the world stage.
Mbappe's year has been filled with controversies. The Frenchman rejected a lucrative offer to join his dream club Real Madrid and instead signed a three-year contract extension with the Parisian club in May this year. However, months after committing to a future at Parc des Prince in the summer, speculations have been rife that the 'unhappy' 23-year-old star may exit PSG in the January transfer window after France's World Cup campaign in Qatar.
Regardless of what is being said about his future, Mbappe remains focused on bringing yet another World Cup glory to France. The former Monaco star, who has already won 59 caps for his country, made his debut for Les Bleus in 2017 at the age of 18. Since then, he has been a mainstay for the national team. In the 2018 World Cup-winning campaign, Mbappe scored four goals in seven games and would want to improve that number when Didier Deschamps' men kickstart their Group D campaign against Australia on November 23. But how pumped is the PSG star to power France to a second consecutive World Cup victory?
Also read: Mbappe fans go berserk after PSG star shatters Messi's historic Champions League record
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Mbappe said, "It's been my mentality since I'm young, is always to do more, to push the limits. For me, it was not the end when I won the World Cup [in 2018]. It was the first chapter of something crazy. It's so hard to win two in a row, but if you want to write history, you have to do something nobody does. So we're going to try. I think we have a good team. We're a good collective. The manager is the same. And we have the country behind us."
When asked about what the 2018 World Cup win in Russia did to his life and career, Mbappe added, "That changed my life. After that World Cup, everything was different because all the world [was] watching. And when you do something good it's been crazy after. I was famous before the World Cup, but not like this. It became crazy. It took me some time to [learn] to stay calm."
Also read: Argentina predicted to lift Qatar World Cup 2022; here's how many goals Messi could score
Mbappe also spoke about why he rejected the summer transfer move to Real Madrid and how does he feel about being the focal point of PSG. "[Emmanuel Macron] called and said, 'I know you want to leave. I want to tell you, you are also important in France. I don't want you to leave. You have an opportunity to write the history here. Everybody loves you.' I said I appreciated it, because it's really crazy. The president calls you and wants you to stay."
"I'm not scared. I'm ready … I always talk about my ambition, what I want to do, and now it's time. In Paris, the book is fully [blank]. What an opportunity! You have to think differently. Of course, it was easier to go to Real Madrid. But I have this ambition. I'm French. I'm a child of Paris, and to win in Paris, it's something really special—really special. It writes your name in the history of your country for life. You can stay here to have success … For us it's a big message, because when I announced I stay, a lot of things change in the mentality of people. People start to say, 'Yeah, we don't need to go out. You don't need to leave the country," Mbappe concluded.
Also read: Qatar World Cup 2022: 5 records Argentina's Lionel Messi could break in showpiece event