‘He knows about Sunderland’ – Nordi Mukiele reveals Kylian Mbappé message and emotional fan tribute

Nordi Mukiele Reveals Kylian Mbappé Has Been Following Sunderland’s Premier League Journey

Sunderland defender Nordi Mukiele has shared that his close friend and France teammate Kylian Mbappé has been keeping an eye on the Black Cats’ impressive return to the Premier League.

Mukiele and Mbappé, who previously played together at Paris Saint-Germain and for the French national team, remain close friends.

Speaking to the Premier League, Mukiele discussed why Mbappé recently commented on one of his social media posts after Sunderland’s win over Wolves — a moment that quickly caught the attention of fans online.

“I didn’t realise at first how big his comment had become,” Mukiele said with a smile. “But I can imagine it caused a bit of excitement among Sunderland supporters because Kylian is a world-class player.

He just told me that Sunderland have made a really good start. He already knows about Sunderland — we talk football all the time — and he’s seen that we’re having a great season right now.”

Mbappé’s message went viral among Sunderland fans, many viewing it as another sign of the club’s growing recognition on the global stage.

Mukiele, who joined Sunderland from Paris Saint-Germain in August for £9.5 million plus add-ons, has quickly established himself as a key player under Régis Le Bris.

His strong defensive displays and attacking contributions have been instrumental in Sunderland’s rise to the Premier League’s top four.

The French defender also reflected on the now-iconic photo of him standing before the travelling Sunderland fans at Stamford Bridge following their dramatic 2–1 victory over Chelsea.

“In that picture, to tell the truth, I was just thinking about how much this win meant to the supporters,” Mukiele said. “I know the fans here have been through difficult years, so I imagined how proud they must have felt — winning away at a club like Chelsea.

Sunderland is a place where football means everything to the people, and to see them so happy makes me proud.”

Mukiele’s passion and connection with the fanbase have quickly made him a fan favourite on Wearside. The 27-year-old, who previously represented PSG and Bayer Leverkusen, scored his first goal for Sunderland earlier this month in a 2–0 home win against Wolves.

Enzo Maresca Reacts to Chelsea’s Defeat to Sunderland

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca admitted his side were second best after their 2–1 loss to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues took an early lead through Alejandro Garnacho, but Wilson Isidor equalised before half-time.

Despite controlling much of the possession in the second half, Chelsea failed to break down Sunderland’s compact defence and were punished deep into stoppage time when Chemsdine Talbi netted the winner from Brian Brobbey’s clever assist.

Reflecting on the defeat, Maresca acknowledged defensive mistakes and a lack of creativity from his team:

“I think overall we just weren’t good enough,” Maresca said. “When you’re not at your best in the Premier League, you pay the price. I’ve said before, if you can’t win, you must make sure you don’t lose.

“The second goal isn’t even a counterattack — it’s a long ball in behind where we have a 2-v-1 situation, and we defend it badly.

The first goal comes from a throw-in, and it’s tough because they put six or seven men inside the six-yard box. But overall, we simply weren’t good enough.”

“It should have been an easy situation — the striker had his back to goal — but maybe we tried to manage the moment because it was already the 92nd or 93rd minute.

We have to do better. We lacked creativity, didn’t create enough chances, and lost too many duels and second balls after going ahead. When we got into wide areas, our crosses lacked quality, and that made the difference.”