Winning Champions League ‘for Paris’ a matter of pride for Mbappe

Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappe said that helping his hometown club to finally win their first Champions League title is a matter of pride for him after he scored twice to help guide his side to a 4-1 comeback win at Barcelona and into the semifinals with a 6-4 aggregate victory on Tuesday.

Mbappe, who is set to leave PSG in the summer with Real Madrid as the biggest favourite to sign him, told reporters his future is not in his mind and his focus is on bringing glory to the French capital.

“I have the dream of winning the Champions League for Paris,” Mbappe said.

“I’m proud to be at PSG since the first day. It’s not because there are good times and bad times that my pride takes a hit. The pride of playing for this club, of representing the club of the capital of my country, it’s something special for me who grew up there.

“To experience an evening like this one as a Parisian, it’s great. We have one more step to go before we reach the final in Wembley, so we need to stay calm.”

After losing 3-2 in the first leg in Paris, PSG fought back down 1-0 at Barcelona after the locals went down to 10 men just before the half-hour when the last man Ronald Araujo was red-carded for fouling Bradley Barcola.

Former Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele equalised for the visitors just before the break while Vitinha and Mbappe finished the job in the second half, with PSG facing Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals after the Germans beat Atletico Madrid.

Having failed to get past the round of 16 in the past two seasons and being pinned against the ropes by a Barca side who were in the ascendancy, PSG put on a gritty performance to make the most of the home side’s mistakes and turn the tie around.

Reuters