Mbappe was right to stay at PSG, says France star Digne
Robin Bairner
- 2 Jun 2022 20:00 BST
- 6 min read
Lucas Digne says France international team-mate Kylian Mbappe was right to turn down the chance of playing for Real Madrid and instead sign a new contract with PSG.
Digne has experience of playing at the top level in both La Liga and Ligue 1, having turned out on nearly 50 occasions for both PSG and Barcelona.
The 28-year-old is now one of the Premier League’s leading offensive full-backs and is loving his life at Aston Villa, and the 44-time capped player is experienced enough to know that being happy is vital to hitting peak performance.
“In my opinion he chose well because it’s his beloved club in his own country, where he will be the heart of the project,” Digne exclusively told FootballTransfers. “He is an amazing player… he is the future, and he could be a leading star in the first PSG team to win Champions League.”
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Digne targets World Cup glory
Digne, meanwhile, has big ambitions with Mbappe in the France national team as he closes in on an elite group of players to have achieved 50 caps for his country.
“It is always a great pleasure and pride to be selected for my country,” he said. “Les Bleus have always been a part of my life, so it really means a lot.
“I have played for France since Under-17s - winning the World Cup with Under-20s in 2013. Then I made it to Les Bleus in 2014. And now I have played 44 times for France. I have been in our base, Clairefontaine, so many times, that if feels like home. But at the same time it is also very special every time!
“We have a great group of players with extreme ambitions in a good atmosphere - and we really work hard together. Our coach, Didier Deschamps, has proved he can win, and we have great competition for positions, but also a great team spirit. For sure we will play to win in Qatar, but obviously there will be other contenders for the title. It is very rare for a country to win back-to-back World Cup titles, isn’t it? But why not try?”
France’s Nations League challenge
The Nations League is the next big building block towards that target, with France starting their defence of the title they won in Milan in 2021 with matches against Denmark, Croatia (twice) and Austria. It is a challenge Digne, who was a member of the squad that overcame Belgium and Spain last October, is relishing.
“Nations League has been a good thing - instead of playing friendlies, you actually play to win a tournament. Every game is important,” he said. “When you play for France, then you know that you go out on the pitch to win every game - and to try to win every tournament. It is a good competition, and this time with four games coming up very fast after each other it almost feels like a mini-Euro tournament.”
Digne will share game time in the forthcoming internationals with in-form Milan player Theo Hernandez, having beaten out Real Madrid regular Ferland Mendy for a slot in Didier Deschamps’ France squad.
