KYLIAN MBAPPE “doesn’t care” if he is booed by his own French fans against Italy when he returns to the Paris Saint-Germain stadium on Friday.
The striker finally departed PSG for Real Madrid this summer amid a reported dispute over more than £46million in unpaid wages.
Now the 25-year-old will be back at the Parc des Princes for a Nations League opener.
The speedster, who netted a World Cup final hat-trick in vain against Argentina, is tipped for a hostile greeting.
But he said: “Tomorrow’s reception, I don’t expect much. I don’t care. The important thing is to win.”
Mbappe rediscovered his scoring form with a double as Madrid beat Real Betis 2-0 on Sunday.
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That put Carlo Ancelotti’s men second in LaLiga, four points behind 100 per cent team Barcelona.
And Mbappe said: “I feel good, physically and mentally
“I’m happy where I am and about what I do, and I know it will get even better as the matches go on.”
However, he had exacerbated discontent among PSG fans with his ecstatic response to joining Real in a five-year deal three months ago.
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He said at the time: “A dream come true. So happy and proud to join the club of my dream.
“Nobody can understand how excited I am…”
He notched 256 goals in 308 games for PSG from 2018-2024 before taking a £51M pay cut to leave for the Spanish giants.
Now he’s switching his attention back to Les Bleus, for who he’s netted 48 times in 84 matches.
France and Italy will both feel they underachieved at Euro 2024.
The French still reached the semi-finals in Germany.
But Mbappe broke his nose in their first match.
After that he played in a vision-restricting mask – until the last-four 2-1 KO against eventual tournament winners Spain.
Mbappe confirmed that his injury is completely in the past.
He said: “I underwent exams in Madrid, they told me surgery was not necessary.
“I don’t have any problem to breathe and to sleep.”
Now he is hoping to give the kiss of life to his reputation in the French capital – whatever the reception.
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Didier Deschamps’ men are in the Nations League’s A2 group alongside Belgium and Israel – but first aim to see off Luciano Spalletti’s Azzurri.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
