Since the start of this World Cup in Qatar, Kylian Mbappé was a bit Bernardo with a Zorro mask in the desert. Mutic but savior. “Kylian speaks with his feet and he speaks very well”, defended Didier Deschamps at a press conference. A few minutes earlier, the feet in question (well especially the right) allowed the Blues to step over the Polish obstacle in this round of 16 (3-1) before returning to England on Saturday December 10 for a place in the semi-finals.
A double, a goal savings account already increased to five and here is Kylian Mbappé named man of the match, this Sunday, December 4, as after the victories against australia et Denmark. But this time, the striker appeared in front of the media with his trophy sponsored by a famous American beer brand, which almost surprised his manager when he sat on his left.
The exercise boiled down to three questions and a message to deliver: that of a player on a mission. « To the journalists who are there, it was nothing personal, I have nothing against journalists, he said in the preamble. It’s just that I always have this need to focus on the competition. When I want to focus on something, I need to do it 100%, not waste energy elsewhere. »
The Mbappé company does not know the crisis but knows that this silence was beginning to question. At the risk of turning into speculation. But the Paris Saint-Germain striker assumes this choice of silence after the media turbulence of recent weeks with his club and his supposed starting desires. He also takes for himself the fine imposed by FIFA for his two absences. “I undertake to pay her personally, the Federation must not pay her for a decision that is personal”, he said. A saving of 10,000 Swiss francs (about 10,100 euros) for the French Football Federation.
It then comes to mind the words of Antoine Griezmann, two days earlier, about his partner. “Grizou” described a joker and good comrade Mbappé. “He talks a lot, he puts the joy of living. He knows he is important to us. He knows every move is going to be watched by reporters, fans and his teammates. He is beyond reproach. » A way to bury the tensions of the recent past, some things left unsaid from the last Euro and the idea of a Mbappé sometimes on the sidelines of the group.
“No magic recipe to stop Mbappé”
At 23, the player has taken on a new dimension in the France team and his teammates are the first happy to answer questions about him or the word of ” phenomenon “ in a loop. Even for having practiced it on a daily basis at PSG, Adrien Rabiot thus manages to still be surprised. “The goals he manages to score, the angles found… It’s incredibleadmits the midfielder. But that’s also what is expected of him. We work behind and we wait for him to do the job in front. »
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