Mbappe: 'Messi is just normal'

Kylian Mbappe expressed admiration for his elder teammate Lionel Messi when reminiscing about the time they shared the dressing room at PSG.

In a recent interview with Universo Valdano, Kylian Mbappe made notable remarks about his former teammate Lionel Messi. The French superstar reflected on playing alongside Messi at PSG and praised the admirable qualities of the veteran player.

Specifically, Mbappe stated: "He's completely normal. When you are famous, people often attach stereotypes about your personality, and if you’re not careful, you might start believing them. You think: ‘Yeah, that must be true, that’s how he is.’ But that’s not the case. Messi came in as a perfectly ordinary person, always respectful to everyone.

On the pitch, he is… truly an exceptional player. When you have someone like him in the team, especially if you’re also an attacker, you just need to be close by to observe everything he does: how he finishes, how he handles situations, how he controls the game. I believe playing alongside Messi helped me greatly to deepen my understanding of football."

Mbappe continued to shower praise on the Argentine superstar and shared valuable lessons he learned while playing alongside the senior player in Paris.

The Real Madrid star added: “Messi once told me he regretted not recording all the lessons he heard and learned from his time at Barcelona under Guardiola. But for me, he felt that I remembered a lot of those things...

I consider myself very lucky to have played with Leo Messi. Honestly, I never thought that would happen in my career. My dream was always to wear the Real Madrid shirt; I never imagined going to Barcelona, and since I believed Messi would stay there forever, I only thought I would face him as an opponent, not play alongside him. But then it became a reality, and it was an incredibly special experience. I learned so much from him and am truly grateful for that. Those two years were wonderful, a golden opportunity to be next to a great player like Messi."

In August 2021, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi became the center of attention by signing Lionel Messi from Barcelona. There, the Argentine superstar reunited with Neymar and teamed up with Mbappe, forming one of Europe’s most dazzling attacking trios at the time.

Despite having a world-class lineup in almost every position, PSG failed to achieve the expected success. The MNM trio helped the club win Ligue 1 titles in their first and second seasons, along with the French Super Cup. However, the Champions League dream remained out of reach — the prestigious trophy PSG most desired and the reason Al-Khelaifi invested heavily in this star-studded squad.

Notably, after Messi and Mbappe left Paris in 2023 and 2024 respectively, PSG showed a completely different face under coach Luis Enrique. The team became a cohesive unit with diverse tactics, eventually lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time in the 2024/25 season.

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