Kylian Mbappe said he understood the anger of fans as the Real Madrid player arrived to meet with fans and players of his struggling Ligue 2 team, SM Caen.

Mbappe arrived in Caen on Thursday, less than twenty-four hours after his spectacular hat-trick helped Real Madrid defeat Manchester City in the Champions League.

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The Real Madrid player would have expected a different response at Caen, as the French team is currently facing the prospect of their first relegation to the third tier in 41 years.

Caen, a Ligue 1 fixture and typically one of the top teams in the league, is currently 11 points from safety and near the bottom of the rankings.

They recently displayed a placard alerting him that “SMC is not your toy” after he dismissed club veteran Nicolas Seube as manager.

Last month, following yet another defeat, fans flocked to the field to confront the referees and players.

Following the decision on Tuesday to remove his second manager, Bruno Baltazar, and formally replace him with Michel Der Zakarian, Mbappe arrived.

“I have come to support the squad and I think they can change their situation,” the 26-year-old told reporters.

My presence is essential. In light of the situation we’re in, Mbappe said, “I want to stay in touch with everyone, show my support, and let them know that they can rely on me.”

“I believe the project is good, which is why I’m here.” I regret not being able to be there sooner. When I told them I was among them, they had to believe me. And I saw a group that hasn’t given up and wants to change the results.

“I hope this is a turning point because I think that with the team’s quality and the fans’ support, things can change.” We’ve seen that in football, nothing is impossible.

Despite the lack of confidence, I think a positive result can turn around the team’s declining performance. Since I’ve never gone through this myself, I’ve personally told them that I can appreciate their annoyance.

“It’s normal to feel angry, but the stadium is full of supporters, and our goal is to give it our all.”

Mbappe was seen greeting club supporters and signing autographs in the video that Caen released.

The Real Madrid player and its investment arm, Coalition Capital, founded Interconnected Ventures, via which Mbappe spent £12.6 million to acquire the majority of Caen over the summer.

Caen, a proud club near the northern coast of France, has the highest attendance figures in the French second division, with an average of 15,000 spectators at the Stade Michel-d’Ornano.

Players like N’Golo Kante, Thomas Lemar, and William Gallas have donned the shirt over the years.

Caen scout David Lasry revealed in a BBC documentary that the squad had contacted Mbappe when he was thirteen years old.

Mbappe’s father reportedly admitted that they had made the decision to allow their son to play for the squad headquartered in Normandy.

But the deal fell through in 2012 when Caen was relegated from Ligue 1 to the second level.

Mbappe would instead join Monaco’s academy. Before joining PSG, the striker would finally make his first appearance in the starting lineup.