Mbappe: “In football, you’re either good or not good, I wasn’t good”

Kylian Mbappe and France got knocked out by Spain in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 on Tuesday night, and it was clear that France were nowhere near their best throughout the tournament. Mbappe, their star man, was the same: Playing with injury throughout the tournament and missing key chances on multiple occasions. He spoke after the game, and had a few interesting quotes, mainly around self-awareness and self-criticism.

The new Real Madrid signing said: “In football, you are either good or not good. I wasn’t good. The Euro for me was a failure. It was a failure. We had the ambition to be European champions; I had the ambition to be a European champion. We aren’t that, so it’s a failure.

“It’s football. We have to move on. It’s been a long year.”

Mbappe on his plans after the tournament

“I think I need a vacation. I will go on holiday, I will rest well, then I will get ready to start a new life. There’s a lot of work to do.”

Mbappe on his targets for the new chapter in his career

“I need to work hard to come back very strong next season.”

Mbappe on facing Spain

“Spain played better than us. We didn’t play well. They’re a good team. For the chance at the end, a player of my quality has to score that. No excuse.”