Kylian Mbappe shows where his priorities lie with fresh demands to France bosses

Kylian Mbappe has started life at Real Madrid in good goalscoring form but the French superstar wants to slow his season down in order to make 2025 his best year yet

Kylian Mbappe has told France bosses that only wants to play ‘important’ matches for his country as he seeks to win the Ballon d’Or in 2025.

Mbappe, 25, has made winning the coveted award his priority for the foreseeable future, having signed for Real Madrid this summer and started the season with seven goals in 11 games for the reigning Spanish and European champions. The former Paris Saint-Germain superstar knows that staying fit will be crucial in his bid and after picking up a muscle injury late last month, Real granted him a week off during the international break.

That’s despite Mbappe, who captains France, playing 71 minutes in Madrid’s most recent match, a 2-0 against Villarreal. On Thursday, while his country beat Isreal 4-1 in their third Nations League fixture, Mbappe was spotted at a nightclub in Stockholm, Sweden.

Images of him partying caused a stir in France, although national team bosses knew about his excursion. French outlet Foot Mercato report that Mbappe is carefully monitoring the amount of games which he plays, with many top-level footballers criticising increased fixture congestion after the Champions League was revamped to include two extra games in the league phase.