'He liked to watch every game': Idrissa Gana Gueye reveals Kylian Mbappe's Everton obsession
Is the France captain really a secret Evertonian?
Everton midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye has blown Kylian Mbappe's cover about his secret obsession with the Toffees.
The two players shared the pitch 88 times whilst together at PSG and used to tune in to catch Gueye's current side in action before training sessions and on the way to away matches.
Mbappe, who is set to join Real Madrid this summer, took a keen interest in the Premier League side's endeavours, whilst Julian Draxler took a more jovial view of the situation it has emerged.
Speaking exclusively to the Liverpool Echo, Gueye told how many PSG players would gather around to watch Everton in action, including 25-year-old Mbappe.
"I remember Draxler, every time we lose, he would go, 'You see your team, they are not good!' and I would say, 'We will survive', recalled the 34-year-old.
"So the day we survived against Crystal Palace, he said 'You were lucky' and I said 'I told you'. I told him to come to Everton but he hasn't listened!"
"Mbappe, yeah he would watch," added Gueye. "He liked to watch every game. [Lionel] Messi, no. It was difficult for me because we were losing a lot and he would say, 'Bro, come on, you see your team is losing and playing like this?' But it was funny.
"I used to send Seamus Coleman, Mason Holgate and Jordan Pickford messages [saying], 'Bro, please do it!'. It was important for me to support and show I was there for him."
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Surviving in consecutive Premier League campaigns has become something of a pattern for the Toffees as of late, with Gueye returning to the club in September 2022.
Explaining how Frank Lampard's powers of persuasion were too much, the Senegal international admits that his love for the club led to him resigning at Goodison Park.
"They called me because they needed me and I said 'I will come and help'," he said. "It would be easy if they were up at the top or even in the middle of the table, but if you love the club then you have to come in the bad moments.
"Lampard called me, Seamus sent me a message, Jordan too and I was part of this team even if I was in Paris.
"They asked me to come help and I said 'Let's go!'. At first, I was like, 'Why have you called, I want to stay here' but they said, 'Yeah, but we need you' and the only club I could leave PSG for now was Everton, so we made the deal."
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Matthew is a Freelance Journalist and has racked up bylines for Manchester United, Manchester Evening News, GOAL and SPORTbible to name a few. A long-term sufferer of Scunthorpe United, he currently resides in the north-west after escaping the smog of North Lincolnshire.