Kylian Mbappe Opens Up About Messi: “Totally Normal with Respect for Everyone”

Kylian Mbappé has opened up about his profound experience playing alongside Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, describing the Argentine legend as “totally normal” and someone who “has respect for everyone.” In a revealing interview on Movistar+’s Universo Valdano, the Real Madrid star reflected on what he learned from Messi while reiterating that his dream was always to play for Real Madrid and he never contemplated joining Barcelona despite sharing a team with the Catalan club’s greatest icon.

The Messi Effect: Lessons from a Legend

Speaking about his two seasons alongside the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner at PSG, Mbappé revealed: “He is a very normal person inside a locker room. He was totally normal and had respect for everyone. When you have someone like that on your team you have to stay close to them and observe everything they do. It helped me a lot to understand the game.”

Mbappé and Messi at PSG: Partnership Statistics

The lethal partnership between Messi and Mbappé saw them combine for 67 games together in Paris, creating one of the most formidable attacking duos in European football. Yet beyond the statistics, what struck Mbappé most was Messi’s character off the pitch.

“He’s someone who really surprised me because he’s so humble in the locker room. He came in with respect for everyone, and as a player, he’s unique,” Mbappé explained. “You had to be close to him—watch how he touches the ball, how he finishes, how he sees the game. Being near him helped me understand the game on a deeper level.”

The Barcelona That Never Was

Perhaps most intriguing was Mbappé’s categorical statement about Barcelona. “I didn’t think I was going to play with him in my career. I thought he would stay in Barcelona all his life and my dream was Real Madrid, I didn’t plan to go to Barcelona in my life,” the French superstar confessed.

This admission carries significant weight given the ongoing speculation throughout Mbappé’s career about potential Barcelona interest. Despite some surprising reports of a possible move to Barcelona, Mbappé stressed: “My dream has always been to play for Real Madrid. I never imagined I would play for Barcelona.”

Mbappé’s Career Path to Real Madrid

The irony isn’t lost on football fans: Mbappé finally got to play with Messi, but it happened at PSG rather than Barcelona, allowing him to fulfill his childhood dream of eventually wearing the famous white shirt of Real Madrid without ever having to consider the Blaugrana alternative.

Messi’s Humility: Breaking the Superstar Stereotype

Mbappé noted: “When you’re famous, people create image of you but he was just respectful, calm and genuine. As player he’s unique.” This observation challenges the often-mythologized image of football superstars as unapproachable or egotistical.

Messi’s arrival at PSG in August 2021 came after his shock departure from Barcelona due to the club’s financial constraints. Many wondered how the Argentine, accustomed to being the undisputed king at Camp Nou, would integrate into a dressing room that already featured global superstars like Mbappé and Neymar.

The answer, according to Mbappé, was with humility and professionalism. Rather than demanding special treatment or asserting hierarchical dominance, Messi entered the PSG locker room with respect for his teammates—an approach that clearly left a lasting impression on the younger French forward.

The Real Madrid Dream: From Childhood to Reality

“The pride of playing where you were born is special, but of course I had the dream of playing for Real Madrid. It was amazing to play in Paris,” Mbappé reflected, acknowledging both his roots and his ultimate ambition.

The journey to Real Madrid was anything but straightforward. Mbappé’s 2022 contract extension with PSG shocked the football world, with many believing he’d already agreed to join Madrid. That decision, driven by a combination of financial incentives, PSG’s sporting project, and French pride, delayed his dream by two years.

The Road to Santiago Bernabéu

Since joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, Mbappé has made a very good start to life at the Spanish giants, quickly adapting to Carlo Ancelotti’s system and forming partnerships with fellow attackers like Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham.

Learning from Greatness: What Messi Taught Mbappé

The two seasons Mbappé spent alongside Messi at PSG (2021-2023) proved invaluable for his development despite arriving as an already world-class player. What specific lessons did the young Frenchman absorb from the Argentine maestro?

Tactical Intelligence: Observing how Messi reads the game, identifies spaces, and times his movements provided Mbappé with insights that can’t be taught in training sessions.

Technical Refinement: Watching Messi’s ball control, his finishing technique, and his passing precision up close offered a masterclass in technical execution.

Professional Consistency: Seeing how Messi maintained his elite level year after year, managing his body and approaching each match with focus, demonstrated the dedication required for longevity at the top.

Humility and Leadership: Perhaps most importantly, Messi showed Mbappé that you can be the greatest player in the world while remaining grounded, respectful, and focused on the collective rather than individual glory.

The PSG Era: A Necessary Detour?

Looking back, Mbappé’s extended stay at PSG—particularly the extra two years after his 2022 renewal—might be viewed as a blessing in disguise. Those seasons allowed him to:

• Play alongside Messi and absorb lessons from one of history’s greatest players
• Mature as a player and person before taking on the pressure of Real Madrid
• Win multiple domestic titles and gain Champions League experience
• Develop into PSG’s undisputed leader and talisman
• Enter Real Madrid as a complete, proven superstar rather than potential

The seven years at PSG transformed Mbappé from a teenage prodigy into a complete forward ready for the unique demands of representing Real Madrid. The Messi partnership, specifically, added dimensions to his game that purely playing in Madrid’s system might not have provided.

Cristiano’s Influence vs. Messi’s Lessons

Interestingly, while Mbappé played alongside Messi, his childhood idol was always Cristiano Ronaldo—Real Madrid’s legendary goalscorer. This creates a fascinating dynamic: learning from Messi while aspiring to follow Ronaldo’s path.

The two legends represent different approaches to greatness. Ronaldo’s relentless physical conditioning, goal-scoring obsession, and winning mentality inspired Mbappé’s ambition. Messi’s natural genius, tactical intelligence, and humble professionalism provided complementary lessons in sustained excellence.

By experiencing Messi’s brilliance firsthand while maintaining his Ronaldo-inspired drive, Mbappé has essentially combined elements from both GOATs—potentially the perfect recipe for his own legendary career.

Barcelona Never Entered the Equation

Mbappé’s emphatic rejection of any Barcelona speculation deserves emphasis. Throughout his career, despite Barcelona’s historical prestige and their need for a successor to Messi, the French forward never seriously considered the Catalan club.

This unwavering focus on Real Madrid demonstrates:

Childhood Dreams Matter: Even as circumstances changed and opportunities arose, Mbappé remained loyal to his boyhood ambition.

Madrid’s Pull: The allure of playing for Los Blancos transcends even the opportunity to play for other prestigious clubs.

Strategic Clarity: Knowing exactly what you want eliminates distractions and allows for focused career planning.

The fact that he played with Barcelona’s greatest-ever player yet never wavered in his Madrid commitment underscores the depth of his connection to the Spanish capital club.

The Respect Factor: Why Messi’s Normalcy Matters

In an era where superstar athletes often cultivate larger-than-life personas, Mbappé’s repeated emphasis on Messi being “totally normal” and having “respect for everyone” reveals what he values most in greatness.

The football world is full of talented prima donnas whose attitudes undermine their teams. Messi’s example showed Mbappé that sustained excellence doesn’t require arrogance, that treating everyone with respect strengthens rather than weakens your position, and that humility and greatness can coexist.

This lesson will serve Mbappé well at Real Madrid, where the dressing room includes multiple world-class talents and egos must be managed for collective success. By emulating Messi’s approachable professionalism while pursuing Ronaldo-like ambition, Mbappé positions himself as both a leader and team player.

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