In his press conference ahead of Monday’s group stage match against Iraq in Philadelphia, Kylian Mbappé was notably asked about his late career and post-retirement plans.
Having been spotted observing his France teammates’ training sessions this week from a scaffolding platform, the captain dismissed the suggestion that he was in the early stages of preparing for a management career:
“I’m not necessarily thinking about becoming a coach, I’m just a lover of the game. I like to understand the match that I’m watching, and I like to learn. When your life revolves around something, it’s important to understand it. I try to understand every little detail.”
Later in the press conference, Mbappé opened the door to a return to the United States towards the end of his playing career:
“It’s a country with a different culture compared to ours in Europe, and I’ve always liked it. There’s no limits to ambition, there’s no fear of saying what you want to do and what you can do. It doesn’t work everywhere, but here it does.”
“Why would I move here? I don’t know. David Beckham often asks me whether I want to come to the United States, but I don’t know. Maybe one day, we’ll see.”
