Kylian Mbappé : 'Vive la fin' of the World Cup
Kylian Mbappé, French football star, has spoken about the pressure and fatigue he feels during international competitions, including the World Cup. He has also talked about the complexity of mental health among high-level athletes.
This is not always easy for high-level athletes. Over the years, more and more money has been injected into different disciplines, some more than others. Football is a perfect example, and the phenomenon has only intensified over the years. But with the money comes also the pressure...
'It doesn't make sense to try to escape by watching the last series or the TV'
And sometimes it can become tiring, as Kylian Mbappé had already confided in an interview with L'Equipe, in September 2025. 'During international competitions, at some point, always. You are locked up for about sixty days. When it's the World Cup, nothing else matters and it doesn't make sense to try to escape by watching the last series or the TV. If you turn on the TV, you know that's all they'll be talking about. I've done two World Cups, I've been two times in the final. Between the semi-final and the final, the world stops *' had explained the French football star.
'The last days, you are alone in your room, you look at the sky, you wait for it to pass'
'People are in front of the hotel and you are there for sixty days, you think: it's the biggest match of my life, but I'm glad it's over, let's know and move on ' continued Mbappé. 'Between the impatience, the fact that nothing else exists and you have nothing to do... The books, the series, the games, the anecdotes with the teammates... Yeah, we've seen each other for sixty days. (He laughs.) Even those closest to me, those with whom I am H24... The last days, you are alone in your room, you look at the sky, you wait for it to pass '.
'If I win the World Cup, you'll come three days later and ask me, I can tell you'
This position is not the only one to hold, since other athletes like the cyclist Tadej Pogacar have already spoken about a certain fatigue. 'The complexity of the thing, it's that people have trouble with it. You must not show it. He (Pogacar) does not say it at the beginning, he says it when he has won... If he says it at the beginning, he gets massacred, and yet, it's the same emotion. He waited for there to be an ultra-favorable context, a peak close to victory, to say it ' launched Kylian Mbappé. 'And if he had lost, he would have said it? If I win the World Cup, you'll come three days later and ask me, I can tell you. You are almost untouchable, there. You lose a match, you say it, they answer you that you say it because you were bad '.
The current situation of the French team
The French team is currently at the top of the World Cup, with 9 points, 3 wins and 0 losses in 3 matches. Their last result was a 4-6 loss against England on July 18, 2026. They are also at the top of their group, with 3 points ahead of Norway.
The next matches of the French team
The French team has a next match against Turkey on September 25, 2026. They are currently without any injuries, but their goalkeeper, W. Saliba, is currently injured.
Mental health of high-level athletes
Kylian Mbappé has also talked about the complexity of mental health among high-level athletes. 'The complexity of the thing, it's that people have trouble with it. You must not show it. He (Pogacar) does not say it at the beginning, he says it when he has won... If he says it at the beginning, he gets massacred, and yet, it's the same emotion. He waited for there to be an ultra-favorable context, a peak close to victory, to say it *' launched Kylian Mbappé.
