Revealed: What did French President Macron tell Mbappe after Qatar World Cup 2022 heartbreak
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Dec 19, 2022, 7:30 PM ISTPresident Emmanuel Macron has revealed what he told Kylian Mbappe after France’s heartbreaking Qatar World Cup 2022 final loss to Argentina on Sunday night.
It was a heartbreaking night for France, and especially for sensational forward Kylian Mbappe. The 2018 champions failed to defend their title against Lionel Messi's Argentina as the South American giants defeated Didier Deschamps' team on penalties at the Qatar World Cup 2022 on Sunday.
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Despite a mindblowing hat-trick by Mbappe to level France with Argentina 3-3 at extra time, Les Bleus failed to perform at the penalty shootout, handing Messi the one trophy that has eluded him throughout his illustrious career.
For eight goals in the tournament, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star bagged the Golden Boot award and was congratulated by French President Emmanuel Macron on the podium of the World Cup presentation. Macron also exchanged a few words with Mbappe, who became the first player since Sir Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
Macron observed the epic final from the stands at Lusail Stadium and was later spotted comforting Mbappe on the field as the Argentina players erupted in jubilation all around them.
When asked what he had said to the France starlet, President Macron told RMC, "Kylian Mbappe is a great player but he's young and I reminded him of that."
“I told him he’s only 24 and he was the World Cup top scorer. He’s won a World Cup before, he’s been to another final. I was as sad as him but I told him he had made us all very proud, and in the end we’ve lost a football match, we came so close. That’s how it is in sport," the French president added.
On the thrilling World Cup 2022 final as a whole, Macron stated, “We were very far off at the end of the first half. There have been comebacks like that, but it’s very rare in the history of football."
“We came back amazingly. What Mbappe and the whole team did is extraordinary. We found our hunger again. I really believed we would do it. We had a miraculous second half, coming back from nowhere," he concluded.
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