Kylian Mbappe PSG 2023-24Getty Images

Kylian Mbappe is 'seeing everything in white': PSG star broke his promise after 'invisible' display against Barcelona - his head is already at Real Madrid

"I'm not going to hide," Kylian Mbappe told Telefoot before the first leg of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona at Parc des Princes. "I'm sure we are going to give it our all."

For the most part, PSG did give everything on their way to a heart-breaking 3-2 defeat on Wednesday, bossing possession and mustering more shots than their Spanish opponents. But Mbappe broke his promise.

Jules Kounde effectively put his French national-team colleague on a leash for the full 90 minutes, and at times it felt as though PSG were playing with 10 men. Mbappe had carried the Ligue 1 giants to this stage almost single-handedly, with three of his six goals coming in their last-16 triumph over Real Sociedad, which earned him a billing as Barcelona's potential executioner.

Mbappe has consistently shown he can deliver when it matters most. Nineteen of his 46 Champions League goals for PSG have come in the knockout stage, while at international level he has found the net 12 times in World Cups; only five players have managed more in the history of the game.

The fact he's achieved so much by the age of 25 is staggering, and it's frightening to think that his prime years are still very much ahead of him. So what went so spectacularly wrong against Barcelona? The answer is clear: Mbappe's head is already in Madrid.

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