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.
“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.
