Arsenal great Thierry Henry admits Kylian Mbappe's decision to stay with PSG surprised him.

Mbappe snubbed an offer from Real Madrid to pen a new three-year deal with PSG.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward explained why Mbappe staying put is important for both Ligue 1 and the French national team.

"Obviously, Kylian decided to stay. It's massive for French football," Henry told Goal.

"I thought he was going to go. I think everyone thought he was going to go, even including himself.

"I think he changed his mind. I don't know what exactly maybe made him change his mind, because I didn't see what he said, I think it was yesterday night.

"There must have been something deep into some discussions. I saw that some people were calling him. Apparently, [Emmanuel Macron, the France] president called him to stay, it was crazy.

"Hopefully that shows where PSG want to go because normally, one thing is sure: when you play for a big club, you don't get away from a big club; the big club gets rid of you when you're old.

"When you're still in your prime, you don't leave. He decided to stay. He has the club, obviously, in his heart.

"People will talk about what he's going to get in terms of money and power, but I would like to think that if you think that long about something, money would have come anywhere anyhow, wherever he went, but he wanted to stay.

"So, in France, everybody, everybody was happy because this is what you need to do first and foremost as a team.

"If you want to be successful, you can't let that guy go. If you let that guy go, you're not going to get a guy like that around the corner... or in the suburbs of Paris you might! Saying that, we were all happy that he stayed."