Kylian Mbappe expressed his excitement about reuniting with his France teammates as he prepares to make his first international appearance in six months against Croatia in the Nations League quarter-finals.
The 26-year-old forward missed two matches in October due to injury and another two in November, when France coach Didier Deschamps decided to rest him during a challenging period as he adjusted to life at his new club, Real Madrid.
“I feel good, I feel happy to be playing football, I feel happy to be here,” said Mbappe during a press conference in Split. “I talk to most of my teammates regularly. I even go on holiday with some of them. It’s a pleasure to be here. The situation may have seemed unclear to those on the outside, but internally, it has always been clear.”
The 2018 World Cup winner made his much-anticipated move to Real Madrid last summer, but admitted that finding his best form for the Spanish and European champions had been difficult.
“A career isn’t always a straight line. You need to refocus on what makes you happy and get back to work. If I had to do things differently? I would have played better,” Mbappe reflected, looking back on the end of 2024.
France will face Croatia in Split on Thursday before hosting the return leg three days later at the Stade de France in Paris.
