Barcelona star Raphinha's comments aimed at Kylian Mbappe over his Euro 2024 remarks have stirred debate in the football world, highlighting differing opinions on the difficulty of winning the European Championships versus the World Cup.
Comments made by Barcelona star Raphinha have caused a stir in the football world this weekend, as he took a dig at new Real Madrid signing Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe recently sparked controversy by suggesting that winning the European Championships is a tougher challenge than triumphing in the World Cup. This statement comes ahead of his leadership of France in Euro 2024.
🗣Raphinha on Kylian Mbappé's World Cup and Euro comments: "Unfortunately for him and fortunately for us, he lost a World Cup to a South American team.
"I would like to see the European teams play the qualifiers in South America, on the pitch and at the altitude we face. I want… pic.twitter.com/eEp9DO2Btk
🚨🎙️| Raphinha: "Mbappe saying Euros are more difficult than the World Cup? Unfortunately for him, he lost a World Cup final against a South American team." 😳🗣️ pic.twitter.com/qnyFcaAeNJ
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes)
The remarks drew criticism from players and pundits who disagreed with Mbappe's assertion. Addressing the issue in a press conference before Brazil's Copa América campaign, Raphinha spoke on behalf of many offended in South America and aimed a pointed jab at Mbappe. He referenced France's World Cup final loss to Argentina in 2022, saying:
"Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for us, he lost a World Cup to a South American team. I would like to see the European teams do the qualifiers in South America, on the pitch and at the altitude we face. I want to see then if it’s easy or difficult!"
Raphinha's comments reflect the ongoing debate in international football about the challenges faced by teams from different regions, adding an intriguing dimension to the build-up to Euro 2024 and the Copa América.
Here are some of the Twitter comments:
Raphinha taking up the role of a leader 🇧🇷🗣️pic.twitter.com/zqtW4i8Hom
— Reshad Rahman (@ReshadFCB)💣 ¡PA-LA-ZO de RAPHINHA a MBAPPÉ!
😯 "Desafortunadamente para él, PERDIÓ un MUNDIAL ante una selección SUDAMERICANA".
😉 "Me gustaría ver a las europeas jugando nuestras eliminatorias". pic.twitter.com/u67qqzVHkE
Meanwhile Raphinha when he faced a European team at the WC 😭 https://t.co/bKgLMpMXzh pic.twitter.com/XnoSvMGruD
— fan (@NoodleHairCR7)Raphinha: "Mbappé saying Euros is difficult that World Cup? Unfortunately for him and happily for us, he lost a World Cup against a South American team. I would like to see the European teams play the South American qualifiers on the pitches we play on." pic.twitter.com/QvzV56mcv6
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal)