French football forward Kylian Mbappe, who plays for La Liga club Real Madrid, shared insights with RMC Sport regarding his first encounter with Lionel Messi following the 2022 World Cup final.
In the decisive match held on December 18, 2022, in Lusail, the French national team faced off against Argentina, resulting in a 3-3 draw in regular time and a 4-2 loss in the penalty shootout. The 25-year-old Mbappe played the entire match and scored a hat trick, while the 37-year-old Messi scored a brace.
I was furious, but you respect it because it’s Messi. We broke the ice by laughing together because we had fought a battle. We created memories from the final. I think that final brought us closer together. I learned a lot from him.
Kylian Mbappe
On December 8, in a conversation with sports insider Fabrizio Romano, Mbappe praised his collaborative play with Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Just two days prior, the AS platform reported that the French forward apologized to his teammates for his shortcomings during matches, which was well-received by the players from los Blancos.