“It felt like being inside a video game”: Satpayev recalls meeting Mbappé

Tengrinews.kz — Kazakhstan national football team winger Dastan Satpayev recalled meeting Kylian Mbappé and other stars in the Champions League match against Real Madrid.
According to the 17-year-old Kairat academy graduate, he was sure that one day he would play against footballers of that level, but he never imagined it would happen while wearing the shirt of the Almaty club.

“There was massive hype. It felt like everyone descended on Almaty. I always had an underlying belief that I would eventually play against world-class players. But never imagined it in a Kairat shirt.
The nerves were intense, especially walking out onto the pitch. When you see players of that stature up close, right next to you... shaking your hand... at first, it felt like being inside a video game,” Satpayev recalled in an interview with the club’s press service.

As a reminder, Dastan Satpayev has already played his final match for Kairat and has joined London’s Chelsea.
In the near future, the Blues’ coaching staff will decide how the career of Kazakhstan’s most expensive footballer will continue.

Satpayev against Mbappé: a miracle that became reality
As a reminder, the Kairat vs Real Madrid match took place at Central Stadium in Almaty on September 30, 2025. The game was the Almaty team’s first home match in the main stage of the Champions League.
All of the Spanish giant’s main stars played in that match: Kylian Mbappé, who scored a hat-trick, Vinícius Júnior, Arda Güler, Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois.
Photo: ©Tengrinews.kz/Ulan Kenjealiyev
In addition, Real Madrid were coached in that match by Xabi Alonso, the current Chelsea manager.
The match ended 0–5 in favor of Real Madrid, but even that did not spoil the atmosphere of a truly major football night in Almaty.
It should be noted that Kairat played in the main stage of the Champions League for the first time in history after defeating one of Scotland’s most decorated clubs, Celtic, in qualifying.