Madrid, May 24 (BUS): Real Madrid wants to quickly forget Kylian Mbappe and re-focus on the Champions League final against Liverpool, the Associated Press reports.
Four days before the final in the outskirts of Paris, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and his players did their best to avoid talking about the France striker and his decision to stay with PSG.
Mbappe made this surprising announcement on Saturday, and dealt a heavy blow to Real Madrid and its fans, who were sure that he would play in the Spanish capital next season.
Real Madrid as a club has not commented on Mbappe’s decision, although some players were quick to post messages praising the club and saying it was an honor to wear his shirt.
Mbappe said last year that he wanted to join Real Madrid, but Paris Saint-Germain rejected offers worth 200 million euros ($214 million) for the player.
The French striker was widely expected to complete a move to Madrid after becoming a free agent at the end of this season, but opted instead to sign a three-year contract with PSG.
Real Madrid will try to win their record-extending 14th European title on Saturday at Stade de France in the Champions League final for the fifth time in eight seasons.
Real Madrid won their tenth European Cup eight years ago with Ancelotti as coach, then clinched three consecutive titles from 2016 to 2018 under Zinedine Zidane. Real Madrid defeated Liverpool in the 2018 final in Kyiv.
Ancelotti, who could become the first coach to win four Champions League titles, will have Real Madrid in full force on Saturday. He said that veteran left-back Marcelo had a small problem but that he should recover in time before the final. Midfielder David Alaba, who missed several matches due to a muscle injury, is ready to play in the final.
Real Madrid reached the final after returning against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, Chelsea in the quarter-finals and Manchester City in the semi-finals.
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