Kylian Mbappe says he is not bitter over Paris St-Germain’s Champions League victory less than a year after leaving the club for Real Madrid.
The forward left PSG as the club’s record goalscorer but was unable to win European football’s premier club competition in seven seasons with the French giants before signing for Madrid on a free transfer in July 2024.
PSG cruised past Inter Milan 5-0 to win their first Champions League title on 31 May.
“I didn’t leave too soon; my story with PSG was over. I am not bitter; I had reached the end of the road,” said France captain Mbappe, who scored 256 goals for PSG.
Speaking on Saturday at a news conference before France’s Nations League third-place match with Germany, Mbappe added: “I tried everything, and it was destiny that meant it had to happen without me.
“PSG winning the Champions League without me doesn’t affect me. I was happy – I think they deserved it.
“They’ve had so many years where they struggled. I’ve been there too; I’ve played in every Champions League stage in Paris except for the victory.
“They’re the best team in Europe. I don’t remember seeing a team win 5-0 in a major final.”
The closest Mbappe came to Champions League success with his boyhood club was a runners-up medal following defeat by Bayern Munich in the 2020 final.
Mbappe’s Madrid, who were knocked out by Arsenal at the quarter-final stage of last season’s Champions League, ended the campaign without a trophy for the first time in four years.
The 26-year-old did enjoy some success, though, after scoring 31 La Liga goals to win the European Golden Shoe.