‘I believe, you have to believe too’ – Kylian Mbappé unexpectedly visits relegation-threatened Caen day after UCL hat-trick | OneFootball

Following his hat-trick for Real Madrid against Manchester City in the Champions League last night, France captain Kylian Mbappé (26) today travelled to Caen for a surprise visit to the club where he is a majority shareholder. The Normandy-based side are in major trouble in the second tier, sat bottom of Ligue 2 table and stranded by 10 points to 16th-placed Clermont Foot in the play-off spot. Mbappé took advantage of the rest day granted by Carlo Ancelotti to the Madrid squad to visit his struggling side and make a speech to the Caen squad. Arriving at the training ground this afternoon around 1:30 PM, Mbappé met the players after their session. He was alone, accompanied only by his bodyguards. Club president Ziad Hammoud, sporting director Reda Hammache, and newly appointed coach Michel Der Zakarian were also present. The visit coincided with Der Zakarian’s first press conference since taking charge.“I believe in this, and you must believe in it too,” Mbappé told the squad, referring to what would be one of the greatest escapes from relegation that the second division has ever seen, – if Caen can pull it off. The Real Madrid star then had brief individual conversations with some players before posing for group and solo photos – according to a report from RMC Sport.With a loss to Annecy last weekend, Les Vikings made it a record-breaking ninth straight defeat in the second tier. It is the worst run for any Ligue 2 side since Gazélec Ajaccio and FC Sochaux-Montbéliard going eight matches without a win, in 2012-2013 and 2022-2023 respectively. Everything is currently pointing towards a relegation to the semi-professional third tier in the first year of the Mbappé era at the club.GFFN | George Boxall