“It’s not the time to talk about those tiny little things” – Karim Benzema reacts to Kylian Mbappe snubbing Real Madrid in favor of PSG stay
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has refused to comment on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Kylian Mbappe's decision to stay in Paris.
Despite the Spanish champions offering the 23-year-old a huge deal, Mbappe decided to stay at the Parc Des Princes. As per Sky News, the forward will be paid £1 million per week, as well as a signing-on fee of £100 million. La Liga even filed a complaint to UEFA, questioning how PSG could afford the French superstar.
Mbappe has scored 39 goals and created 26 assists in his 46 appearances across the campaign.
Imagine Kylian Mbappe in the Liverpool jersey! 🥶🔴
#KylianMbappe #Liverpool #jurgenklopp #PSG https://t.co/fwOh8We2FP
Ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League final with Liverpool on Saturday, 28 May, Benzema was asked about his France international teammate. He, however, insisted that his club were solely focused on the showpiece match in Paris.
Speaking to Movistar+ (as quoted by Managing Madrid), he said:
“I will tell you that we’re about to play a Champions League Final on Saturday and it’s not the time to talk about those tiny little things."
When asked by the reporter if he was getting angry, the 34-year-old attacker replied:
“No, no no, I’m not angry. I’m just saying that I am focused in the Final and that it’s more important to think about this than listening other things."
¿Mbappé? ''No es el momento de hablar de esas pequeñitas cosas''. #NoticiasVamos https://t.co/UrlN7xX63n
Karim Benzema looks forward to Champions League final rematch between Real Madrid and Liverpool
Saturday's Champions League final is a repeat of the 2018 final between the two European heavyweights. Real Madrid won 3-1 back then thanks in-part to a disastrous display from Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius, as well as a Gareth Bale wonderstrike.
Speaking at a media day for the Liverpool clash, Benzema said (as per Managing Madrid):
“Not a lot has changed since we faced them before, but we’re not going to focus on them too much. We’ll focus on how we can play. We’ve already defeated three clubs that were favourites to win this Champions League.”
Benzema has enjoyed an incredible campaign at the Bernabeu, having scored 44 times in 45 appearances, including 15 in Europe's premier club competition. When asked if he was feeling the pressure of Saturday's final, the Real Madrid forward said:
"I don’t feel any pressure, we’re going to enjoy it. I don’t think there’s any other club where you can have the magic nights that we’ve had this season, with the crowd pushing us onwards."
He added:
"If we don’t give up even when entering stoppage time, it’s because of the crowd. Maybe we had some luck along the way, but you make luck when you keep pushing. When we saw that we had six minutes of stoppage time against City, I said ‘six is a lot of time for us’.”
has scored 27 goals in LaLiga this season, becoming the first French player to finish a campaign as top scorer in the competition's history. Monsieur.
27 - @realmadriden's Karim Benzema 🇫🇷 has scored 27 goals in LaLiga this season, becoming the first French player to finish a campaign as top scorer in the competition's history. Monsieur. https://t.co/wt5Qcbvuty