Mbappe won't let World Cup pain affect PSG
Kylian Mbappe will not get over France's defeat in the FIFA World Cup final to Argentina any time soon, but the forward says he is now fully focused on Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite notching a hat-trick for Didier Deschamps's side in the final, Mbappe and his international team-mates came up short as Les Bleus were beaten on penalties in the showpiece game of Qatar 2022.
While club-mate Lionel Messi is yet to return to Paris since his triumph, Mbappe made a swift return to domestic action, securing a late 2-1 win against Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Thursday (AEDT) despite Neymar being sent off just after the hour-mark.
Speaking after scoring a 96th-minute penalty he had won himself, the 24-year-old acknowledged the pain of France's loss in Doha will stay with him forever, but stressed he does not feel his team-mates should pay the price for those emotions.
"Personally, I will never stomach it," he said. "[But] my club is not responsible for this failure with the national team. I try to come back with positive energy.
"I tried to bring a boost to my team, and [we hope to] continue our season undefeated. It was a [FIFA] World Cup – the club has nothing to do with it."
On making a swift return to PSG from international duty, Mbappe underlined his commitment to keeping club and country matters separate, adding: "The message is simple. It shows that no matter what happens with the national team, PSG are something else. I am still determined to bring all the trophies back to the capital."
Mbappe's late goal against Strasbourg means Christophe Galtier's side has dropped points just twice in Ligue 1 this season, with an unbeaten UEFA Champions League record to match too.
It next plays second-place Lens, when it will hope to open up further daylight between itself and its main title rival, which it is eight points clear of having played a game more.
