Monday, October 19, 2026

Winning Champions League matter of pride for me: Mbappe

“We are very happy; we beat a team that we wanted to beat and to be closer to the final.’’

• April 17, 2024
Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe [Photo: football-espana]

Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappe has said helping his hometown club to finally win their first Champions League title is a matter of pride for him.

This was after he scored twice to help guide his side to a 4-1 comeback win at FC Barcelona and into the semi-finals 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 that his future is not in his mind and that his focus is totally on bringing glory to the French capital.

“I have the dream of winning the Champions League for Paris,” Mbappe told reporters at Barcelona Olympic stadium on Tuesday.

“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 FC Barcelona after the locals went down to 10 men just before the half-hour.

This was when last man Ronald Araujo was red-carded for fouling Bradley Barcola.

Former FC Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele equalised for the visitors just before the break while Vitinha and Mbappe finished the job in the second half.

The result meant PSG would face Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals after the Germans beat Atletico Madrid also on Tuesday.

PSG achieved success having failed to get past the round of 16 in the last two seasons and being pinned against the ropes by a FC Barcelona side who were in the ascendancy.

The Parisian put on a gritty performance to make the most of the home side’s mistakes and turn the tie around.

“We beat a great team this evening, but even if we had lost, I would be proud to be Parisian. Now it’s certain that during evenings like this, the pride is even greater,” Mbappe said.

“We are very happy; we beat a team that we wanted to beat and to be closer to the final. This one is for the fans that came here to support us and those back home. It’s a night to be proud.”

(Reuters/NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

Nigerian Bar Association

States

Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future

The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

doctors in Kwara State

Health

Kwara ‌doctors among least paid in Nigeria: NMA

The NMA chair raised concerns over manpower shortages, poor welfare, excessive workload and alleged unauthorised salary deductions.

Nigeria Democratic Congress

Politics

NDC postpones national campaign council inauguration to October 26

Mr Director also urged party members and supporters to remain focused on its electoral objectives ahead of the 2027 elections.

Daniel Etimbuk

Health

NAFDAC probes death of Enugu NYSC member amid concerns over medicines

Ms Adeyeye said NAFDAC would take appropriate action based on the outcome of its investigations.

Bola Tinubu and APC logo

Lagos

2027: Lagos APC reaffirms target of five million votes for Tinubu

Mr Ojelabi said the APC must translate its political structures into effective voter engagement and mobilisation to achieve the target.

blackout

States

Lagosians face blackout as Ikeja Electric blames low allocation by national grid

Ikeja Electric appreciated customers for their understanding and assured that efforts are ongoing to restore power.

Katsina public school

Education

10,000 Borno pupils get free educational materials

Mr Ibrahim said the materials had been distributed by the state government to the pupils across primary and junior secondary schools.