The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, went to the lawn of the Lusail stadium to console Kylian Mbappé.
At the age of 23, he had just scored a hat-trick in the second World Cup final of his career after being a key player in France’s second World Cup in 2018.
It was an incredible performance that will be remembered for years to come. He is only the second to score so many goals in a World Cup final – Englishman Geoff Hurst was the first, in 1966.
Added to the goal in the title against Croatia, four years ago, those scored this Sunday (18) make him the top scorer in the history of the Cup finals, with four balls in the net.
But the feats were overshadowed by a genius of the ball, the Argentine Lionel Messi.
Scorer of two goals in the match, the number 10 led his country to the title with a victory on penalties.
Seeing the party of the opponent, his partner in Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappé did not want to hear Macron’s words. He didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. Just reflect.
Perhaps it’s hard for him to digest now, but again he has given proof that he is ready to take the throne that has been Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the past ten years.
It’s something he’s been preparing for his whole life. As a teenager, aged 15, still at the base in Monaco, he received an assignment from a teacher to make the cover of a magazine with a wish for his future.
While his club colleagues chose French publications, mostly sports, the young star’s choice already showed a strong trait of his personality: the ambition for stardom.
Mbappé framed a photo of himself on the cover of the US magazine Time, famous for highlighting the greatest personalities in the most diverse areas.
The version made by the player was accompanied by the phrase “El Maestro”, as if he were already a master in the art of playing football.
Smaller headlines around the page labeled him “the best young player in the world”, “a priority for the French national coach”, “the future of football”.
Youthful fantasy might sound visionary now that he’s turned into everything he predicted.
The number 10 was the top scorer in the World Cup, with eight goals.
His presence on the field, however, represents much more than that. The team plays are designed to converge the ball towards their feet.
And, when he receives it, his vision makes him focus on what is always his only goal: reaching the goal.
His obsession with finding the net makes him more like Cristiano Ronaldo than Messi, who, while he knows how to score like few others, doesn’t hesitate at the chance to put a teammate in front of goal.
The aversion to interviews also makes him more like Ronaldo than Messi, who attentively, most of the time, talks to journalists after Argentina’s matches, in their victories and defeats.
Mbappé grew up watching the two, but he never hid his predilection for the Portuguese. She grew up longing to repeat his story. When he was a teenager, he had a Real Madrid number 7 shirt with the name Cristiano Ronaldo in his room.
It was an image to idolize and to inspire. In the last transfer window, he almost materialized that, but Paris Saint-Germain, Qatar Sports Investments (owner of the club) and even the French government did everything for him to continue playing in his country.
The change, for the time being, has been postponed. PSG is also negotiating to try to extend his contract. But the star’s desire to wear Madrid’s shirt is still alive.
Just as his connection with Cristiano Ronaldo is strong. He is proud to have faced the Portuguese in both club and national team football.
When Portugal was eliminated from the World Cup by Morocco, in the quarterfinals, Cristiano’s post reached millions of users, but one comment stood out among them. It was just the French. He wrote “Legend” (legend), accompanied by three images: a crown, praying hands and a goat.
The goat is often used by fans of athletes to praise their idols. In English, the name of the animal is “goat”. And “Goat” is the acronym for “Greatest of all time”.
It was the way Mbappé used to define Portuguese as “the best of all time”, something he also aspires to be.
This Sunday, despite the runner-up, he continues in the path of his idol. And ready also to overcome it.
As a seasoned news journalist, I bring a wealth of experience to the field. I’ve worked with world-renowned news organizations, honing my skills as a writer and reporter. Currently, I write for the sports section at News Bulletin 247, where I bring a unique perspective to every story.
