Mbappe claims to ‘do things PSG players don’t’

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Kylian Mbappe claimed he does things Paris Saint-Germain players do not when questioned about his defensive contributions.

Real Madrid and Mbappe begin their Champions League campaign on Tuesday against Inter, hoping to eventually dethrone two-time defending champions PSG at the end of the season.

If Mbappe scores in this game, he will equal Raul (71) as the joint-fifth top goalscorer in European Cup/Champions League history.

The Frenchman has netted 70 goals in 98 games in the Champions League to date, including 22 in 25 games for Los Blancos.

And in the last five seasons, the two players involved in the most Champions League goals are current Madrid duo Mbappe (43 goals, nine assists) and Vinicius Junior (30 goals, 22 assists).

However, PSG’s two Champions League titles came after Mbappe’s exit, with many claiming their current forwards’ willingness to defend made the difference.

When asked if he needs to improve defensively, Mbappe said: “Just me and Vinicius? Of course, we have to improve. But that’s perfectly natural.

“I can say that I score more goals than the PSG players, and they should be scoring more.

“But I have to be smart and admit that I need to improve, even though I do things the others [PSG players] don’t.

“But it’s a never-ending debate. We all need to improve in this area. And with the ball too.”

— Real Madrid C.F.  (@realmadriden) September 7, 2026

Madrid boss Mourinho will come up against his former team Inter, whom he won the Champions League with in 2010 at the Bernabeu.

Current Inter head coach Cristian Chivu was also in Mourinho’s starting XI for that 2010 triumph.

Mourinho has managed the fifth-most matches in Champions League history since 1992-93 (160), with 36 of those with Madrid between 2010 and 2013, winning 24 (66.7%).

The Portuguese coach admitted it is not an ordinary game for him, but insisted his full focus during the match will be on winning.

“Right now, this isn’t a normal match for me,” said Mourinho. “Afterwards, it will be. But during, no.

“I don’t think anyone will be talking about who’s on the Real Madrid bench during the match. During the game, I won’t be thinking about the past.

“Chivu will always be one of my own. I’m very happy for him, for what he’s achieving. I’ll greet him before and after. During… [only focused on] the match.”

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