Kylian Mbappe might have lost the World Cup final, but he continued to be a topic of conversation for much of the following week as Argentina celebrated. It was not due to his hat-trick.
Much of it was centred around Emiliano Martinez’s celebrations. On multiple occasions, the Aston Villa goalkeeper took it upon himself to stick it to Mbappe after the final. Despite being one of the first to help him to his feet, Martinez would then interrupt celebrations in the dressing room to have a moment’s silence for Mbappe. During the open-top bus parade, he was seen cradling a baby with Mbappe’s face.
Mbappe returned to Paris Saint-Germain just three days later, and speaking after their 2-1 win over Strasbourg, he first revealed what he had said to teammate Lionel Messi after the final.
“I spoke with Messi after the game, I congratulated him. It was important for him, for me too, but I lost and you have to show maturity to congratulate [the other team].”
TyC Sports covered his quotes, and it was no surprise that ‘Dibu’ Martinez was the next topic. Mbappe refused to be bothered by it though.
“The celebrations are not my problem. I don’t spend energy on such trivial things. The most important thing for me is to give my best for my club.”
His qualification of the matter is probably accurate. It is, in the grand scheme of things a trivial matter, although Martinez has seen plenty of criticism come his way.
However footballers often find ways to motivate themselves with matters that can, at times, seem unimportant. The true test of Mbappe’s words will be how he reacts should Les Bleus come up against Argentina and Martinez again in the near future. Based on the final, it would be a tasty rematch.