Soccer-I wanted to stay in France, says PSG's Mbappe after rejecting Real Madrid

(Reuters) - Kylian Mbappe said he was convinced last year was the right time to leave Paris St Germain and join Real Madrid but the France forward said the call of home led to him signing a contract extension with the Ligue 1 champions.

Amid Real's interest, Mbappe signed a contract extension with PSG last week that will keep the 23-year-old tied with the French club until 2025.

Real had pursued Mbappe last year when he had a year left on his contract and though they had reported bids as high as 200 million euros ($213 million) rejected last summer, they were ready to wait and sign him for free this year.

"It's always been a difficult decision... I wanted time to make the right decision. I didn't have any issues with pressure because I've been living with that since I was 14," Mbappe told reporters on Monday.

"Everybody knows I wanted to leave last year. I was convinced that was the best decision at the time. The context is different now, in sporting terms and personal terms.

"France is the country where I grew up, I've always lived here and leaving wasn't right... The sporting project has changed as well, that made me want to stay, I don't think my story is over yet."

Mbappe said he made his much-awaited decision last week but the club told him not to tell his team mates as they wanted to keep it a secret and surprise the world.

"I made the decision before the call with (Real president) Florenitno Perez," Mbappe said.

"I have lots of respect for him and for Real Madrid. They wanted to do a lot to make me happy. So I thank them for that... I'd like to thank Real fans.

"I hope they'll understand the fact I've chosen to stay in my country. The reality is I'm French. As a Frenchman, I want to stay here and take France