Kylian Mbappe has rejected the idea that his relentless focus on scoring makes him a selfish footballer, arguing that goals are part of his job and pointing to his record of creating chances for France as evidence. Speaking to L’Equipe as part of an extensive interview with France Football, the Real Madrid forward was asked about the perception that his desire to score and chase individual records can sometimes make him too focused on himself.
But, Mbappe was clear in his response. “I just have an obsession with scoring goals, it’s my job, that’s it… I’m not selfish,” he said.
He then pointed to his contribution for France as a reason why he does not accept that description.
“How can I be selfish and be the player with most assists in France NT history?!” Mbappe said.
Mbappe also questioned the logic behind criticism of his desire to score, explaining that the expectations placed on forwards work both ways.
🚨 Kylian Mbappé: “I just have an obsession with scoring goals it’s my job, that’s it… I’m not selfish”.
“How can I be selfish and be the player with most assists in France NT history?!”, told L’Équipe. pic.twitter.com/Et6fF2NVvh
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 12, 2026
“That argument doesn’t make much sense. Because if I don’t score, people will ask me why,” he said.
“Besides, I’ve learned that when you’re a footballer, in every match you play, there are millions of coaches. And not all coaches are happy at home.”
“Everyone has their own point of view, but I think the goal of football is to score goals, to score one more than the opponent. A player who scores goals will never be a problem for a team, because I’ve never seen a team win titles without scoring any goals.”
Mbappe: Goals Should Not Be Seen as a Problem
Mbappe has continued that habit at the start of the 2026-27 season. He kicked off his campaign strongly and has scored five goals in his first five appearances for Real Madrid, four in LaLiga and one in the Champions League.
That follows an extraordinary previous season in which he scored 25 goals in LaLiga and 15 in the Champions League, before taking his form onto the biggest international stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he scored 10 goals at the World Cup, winning the Golden Boot. He also moved past Lionel Messi to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals.
Mbappe addressed criticism that his individual goalscoring output could sometimes come at the expense of the collective.
“A player who scores goals will never be a problem in a team, because I have never seen a team win titles by scoring zero goals,” Mbappe said in the interview.
