It was a different yet specular World Cup that ended with what many soccer observers call the most epic match in history — France versus Argentina.
However, the dramatic World Cup final in Qatar was indeed between two teammates-turned rivals — Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
If the Frenchman won — it would mean the passing of the guard from Lionel Messi to Kylian Mbappé (who was 23 at the time).
And if Messi was victorious, it implied that at the age of 35, he would be crowned the GOAT by finally adding that one major title he was missing to his impressive résumé.
The match of the century had soccer fans gripping their seats because of the wild twists and turns. With many of the French players suffering from a mysterious flu-like symptom, Argentina seemed to have the World Cup in the bag with a score of 2 nil.
That is when Kylian Mbappé decided that, like Zinedine Zidane, Pelé, he was going to be the hero or the man of the hour.
The PSG player delivered his biggest performance while on the biggest stage by scoring three superb goals, including two penalties, and breathed life into the French team again.
The game had the world holding its collective breath as it went into overtime, and none of the teams scored. After all, was said and done, Argentina pulled away in penalty kicks to win the thrilling match.
The spotlight was on Argentina and its players, who finally managed to win the World Cup after going through a long drought. The last time was in 1986.
The celebration was as big as the match, with family members of the players rushing onto the field to congratulate them.
The massive parties and simultaneous gatherings in Buenos Aires were beautiful and emotional, with many Argentinians paying tribute to the late soccer god Diego Maradona.
However, the celebration rapidly took a sour note because of Emiliano Martinez. The Argentinian goalkeeper made it his mission to taunt and harass Kylian Mbappé.
Martínez showed his frustration with Mbappé, who scored four goals against him, by calling for “a moment’s silence” for the young superstar during dressing room celebrations.
Upon his arrival in Argentina, the disturbing pattern of mockery continued. Standing next to Messi during a fun-filled victory parade,
Martinez carried around a doll with Mbappé’s face taped to it.
Martinez has also been photographed making lewd gestures with his Golden Glove trophy. Many have called out the disgraced goalkeeper for his inappropriate behavior.
Others have demanded that Messi be an example, as the captain of the team and as a soccer legend who is adored by young children, speak up and tell Martinez to change his behavior and apologize for his rude actions.
Emiliano Martinez’s behavior has angered French football officials, who are thinking about taking action against him. Noël Le Graët, the president of the French Football Federation, said: “I wrote to my counterpart from the Argentine Federation. I find these excesses abnormal in the context of a sports competition, and I find them difficult to understand. This is going too far. Mbappé’s behavior has been exemplary.”
The French Sports Minister hinted that they might make a formal complaint over Martínez’s actions. Amélie Oudéa-Castéra explained: “I am not ruling out discussing this with my counterpart. I find all of this quite pitiful.”
Some observers are wondering if all of this will not affect the two PSG players.
