Surely, Kylian Mbappé imagined everything differently. In three hectic days he lost the 2022 World Cup final in Qatargreeted a crowd that cheered him on his return to France, he turned 24 and this Wednesday rejoined PSG training. However, what caught the attention of the entire planet was a very particular video. In times where everything is recorded and everything is recorded, a camera captured his fiery harangue in the Les Bleus locker room, during halftime of the grand final with Argentina, which ended with victory on penalties for Scaloni’s team.
“We can’t do worse! Let’s go back to the field and stop playing dumb”, says the number 10 to his teammates, who were looking to rescue their emotional and psychological strength in the face of the football beating they had just received in the first 45 minutes, in which Argentina won 2-0.
That’s part of the documentary.”Thank you Blues” (thanks Azules), which French television (TF1) broadcast this Tuesday. It is there where Mbappé, the only one standing, recriminates: “It’s a World Cup final. It’s the game of a lifetime. We can’t do worse. They scored two goals. Let’s go back to the field, stop playing dumb and let’s move on. Let’s put more intensity, put everything in and let’s do something else!”. Before you start your speech he is seen throwing his shirt to the ground.
Later, he does the same with a bandage and harangues: “It’s the World Cup final! That’s it, they scored two goals, we’re down. But we can lift it! Let’s go guys. Something like this happens every four years.
The tension did not drop. Because while Mbappé was speaking, the coach Didier Deschamps walked with his hands on his waist. At one point, she turned and ran her hand over her face. She thought about what to say and only later did she speak: “Guys, I’m telling you without getting angry. Do you know what the difference is? That they are playing a fucking World Cup final. and we don’t. That’s the difference!” she compared. And she acknowledged: “I really did not agree in the first half. We have quality, this strength of character and personality. I like that, I love it. Let’s not lose it. Everything went very fast. You have to believe until the end.”
What followed is familiar history. Despite the fact that Argentina continued to play at a very high level, the self-respect of France and its megastar Mbappé paid off: in a flurry, two of his appearances left the game 2-2 and everything had to be resolved in extra time, where the two figures of each team (Lionel Messi and Kylian himself) scored again. Later, The Argentine team was crowned by winning 4-2 on penalties.
Individual recognitions (tournament scorer with 8 conquests in 7 games) did not take away the bitterness of Mbappé, who in the first days of competition had declared that he had planned his entire 2022 season to win the World Cup.
One day later, Kylian went with his teammates to the reception that the French people gave to the runners-up in the worldwho had won the Cup four years earlier and, with a squad in which the vast majority were under 25, are excited to continue being protagonists in the coming World Cups.
The flurry of mixed emotions continued this Tuesday, when Mbappé turned 24. Undoubtedly, his celebration would have been very different if he had won the Cup for the second time. “24. Thank you all for your messages”, he published on his Twitter account, along with an image in which he is seen blowing out the candles.
Aware that every minute of advantage can be lethal in a season with a very strange schedule and crossed by a World Cup, and wanting something to distract him and allow him to cope with the frustration of having lost the final, the striker showed up for training his team, Paris Saint Germain. Over there he was received by his coach, Christophe Galtier.
The PSG calendar has a friendly against Unión Deportivo Quevilly, from Ligue 2, scheduled for today. Then, the Ligue 1 leader will continue his path to a new title next Wednesday, when he hosts Racing Strasbourg.
Though the real carrot for the Parisian club appears on February 14, when the Champions League round of 16 kicks off. Undoubtedly, the tournament they most want in the French capital, and the one they dream of lifting this season.
The draw did not bring luck: in front will be the powerful Bayern Munichin a series that will be defined on German soil on March 8.
THE NATION