Kylian Mbappe has issued a defiant response despite conceding Paris Saint-Germain's shock defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League was a 'failure'.
The French forward looked to have put his side into the quarter-finals after scoring a well-taken first-half goal to give PSG a two-goal cushion following his winner in the first leg at the Parc des Princes.
But Madrid and managed to mount an incredible comeback to win the tie, with Mbappe's France teammate Karim Benzema bagging a stunning hat-trick for Los Blancos to dump PSG out of the competition.
A Champions League triumph continues to elude PSG despite their wealth of talent, with the defeat doing little to convince Mbappe should stay put rather than complete a switch to Madrid in the summer.
Benzema was one of the first to put Mbappe's disappointment into context, telling the 23-year-old he still had "enough time" to claim a Champions League winners medal of his own.
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And breaking his silence almost 24 hours after the defeat, Mbappe insisted PSG still had plenty to play for despite missing out on their ultimate goal.
“It’s a difficult moment. The Champions League was a great objective, but we failed,” he wrote.
“The season has not ended and whatever happens we will be together, and with determination until the last game of the season,
“Many thanks to all the fans who helped us and who were with us on the trip.”
While he was on the losing side, Mbappe's brilliance over both legs of the tie shone through, with pundits rushing to hail the apparent heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's throne.
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino will be all too aware of the significance of losing to Madrid, who are in the driving seat to land Mbappe at the end of the season when his contract expires.
Still PSG chiefs remain hopeful Mbappe will extend his current deal, though Pochettino would not be drawn on any speculation surrounding the forward's future after the shock result.
“It’s simply impossible to discuss about it now, it’s not the right moment,” the Argentine told RMC Sport.
“We’re really disappointed tonight.”
Should Mbappe make the switch to the Bernabeu, he can take confidence from the knowledge he would be lining up alongside a true world beater in Benzema, who was simply sensational for Madrid.
And it was he who drew the plaudits from former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who feels Benzema is ageing like a fine wine.
"For me he is the complete football player - he has absolutely everything," Wenger told Bein Sports.
"What I like about Benzema is that he's a team player and everything he does looks simple. You always think you could do what he does - that is a supreme intelligence
"He has taken a new dimension since Ronaldo left. He took more responsibility and he grew. I must say I admire the year 1987 - Benzema is 87, so is Suarez, Messi and Cavani.
"Benzema looks like he's getting better every year. I'm a big admirer of his game."
