In the round of 16 of the World Cup, the Blues dominated the teammates of Robert Lewandowski (3-1). The opportunity for Olivier Giroud to beat a record and for Kylian Mbappé to mark the minds once again.
by Alexandre Pedro (Doha, Special Envoy)
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 (finally especially the right) allowed the Blues to step over the Polish obstacle in this eighth finals (3-1) before finding England on Saturday December 10 for a half-place in half finish.
A double, a savings account goals already brought to five and here is Kylian Mbappé designated man of the match, this Sunday, December 4, as after the victories against Australia and Denmark. But this time, the striker presented himself in front of the media with his trophy sponsored by a famous brand of American beer, which almost surprised his coach when he sat down his left.
The exercise was summed up with three questions and a message to deliver: that of a player on mission. “To journalists who are there, it was nothing personal, I have nothing against journalists, he said in the preamble. It’s just that I always need to focus on competition . When I want to focus on something, I need to do it 100 %, don’t lose energy elsewhere. “
The Mbappé company does not know the crisis but knows that this silence was beginning to question. At the risk of turning 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 desires of departure. He also takes for him the fine inflicted by FIFA for his two absences. “I undertake to pay it personally, it is not necessary that the federation pays it for a personal decision,” he said. A saving of 10,000 Swiss francs (around 10,100 euros) for the French Football Federation.
He then returns to mind the words of Antoine Griezmann, two days earlier, about his partner. “Grizou” described a joker and good comrade. “He speaks a lot, he puts the joy of life. He knows that he is important for us. He knows that each gesture will be looked at by journalists, fans and his teammates. He is impeccable.” A way of burying The tensions of a recent past, some unsaid from the last euro and the idea of a Mbappé sometimes on the sidelines of the group. 2> “No magic recipe to stop Mbappé”
At 23, the player has taken a new dimension in the French team and his teammates are the first happy to answer questions about him where the word “phenomenon” is looping. Even for having practiced it daily at PSG, Adrien Rabiot thus manages to be still surprised. “The goals he can score, the angles found … it’s incredible, admits the midfielder. But that’s also what we expect from him. We coal behind and we wait for him to do the job ahead. “
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