Our file “Kylian Mbappé at Real”
In Madrid, Kylian Mbappé will have no worries about integration. In addition to the already existing French colony (Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Mendy), the captain of the France team will be able to communicate with the vast majority of his teammates. And for good reason: numerous interviews and speaking engagements show that he has spoken Spanish fluently for several years, without ever having lived in a Spanish-speaking country.
“Today, you can’t want to be an international star and only speak French. That does not make any sense. You have to know how to adapt in all circumstances (…). If it helps me (in a future club), so much the better,” he indicated in an interview with Thierry Henry, broadcast on Prime Video in December 2021. In addition to Spanish, Mbappé also speaks perfect English.
He speaks Castilian with his friend Hakimi
Some of his statements in Spanish thus became viral. As during this exchange of pleasantries with Jordi Alba, during the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League in Barcelona (1-4) in 2021: “You only talk, in the street, I kill you”, retorted Mbappé at the Spanish left side. The new Real Madrid player chose to study this language from 4th grade, before working on it intensely at the Monaco training center. A video published in 2019 by ASM, retracing his years at the club, showed him with solid predispositions in Spanish classes.
He has also practiced this language on numerous occasions as many Spanish-speaking players have passed through the PSG locker room since his arrival in 2017. The striker communicates, for example, in Castilian with his friend Achraf Hakimi, originally from Madrid, or with his trainer Luis Enrique. “Kylian speaks perfect Spanish, so we also have good exchanges off the field,” explained Lionel Messi on this subject, in an interview with France Football shortly before his arrival at PSG.
