Kylian Mbappe on World Cup Loss: “I Would’ve Exchanged My 3 Goals For an Ugly Own Goal and a 1-0 Win”

On December 18, the soccer world celebrated the first anniversary of Lionel Messi‘s iconic World Cup win with Argentina. What was mirth for Messi, was nothing but a devastating episode for Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman had then scored a stunning three goals, only to see the opponents lift soccer’s biggest prize. A year after that night, the Frenchman was asked about his historic performance. Despite his three-goal outing, the 25-year-old has the lowest of regards for his own performance before missing out on the biggest feat.

No matter how many goals one scores in a match, they are meaningless unless they aid the team’s win. Kylian Mbappe, to this day, reflects this sentiment. For angst, despair, and regret echoed in his recent admission on last year’s FIFA World Cup loss.

Kylian Mbappe ‘wants to forget’ his hat-trick in the 2023 World Cup final

The X account, ‘All About Argentina’ has recently come up with Kylian Mbappe’s reflections on the 2022 World Cup loss. Per the handle, the PSG star was reminded that he rewrote the game’s history with that three-goal performance. Here is how Mbappe responded. “I would’ve exchanged my 3 goals for an ugly own goal and a 1-0 win. You want to forget, but people talk to you about it, the whole planet tells you about it. They said ‘thank you’, but I said ‘for what? We didn’t win'”. The French captain’s devastating response comes as no surprise. He became the first player since 1966 to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup final.

Besides, he had then single-handedly catapulted France’s fightback against Argentina. Such an iconic solo performance was put to waste, as the match was decided in a penalty shootout. Luck was indeed the villain for Kylian Mbappe that night. Though the PSG star will always remember 2022 final as a dark episode, he is all the more optimistic and prepared to chase one more World Cup title.

Mbappe, the new French captain, eyes another World Cup

After the defeat at Qatar, the French team saw certain major changes. Former captain Hugo Lloris and veteran defender Raphael Varane hung their boots. A new era dawned, as young blood, Kylian Mbappe took over as the French captain. Shortly after receiving the armband, the 25-year-old had proclaimed France will bounce back from last year’s loss. He said that the current French team has the desire and potential to win another FIFA World Cup. He is indeed in a good place to make such a confident claim.

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In his first World Cup appearance in 2018, Kylian Mbappe, the then teenager, brought the golden trophy to France. For the second consecutive time, Mbappe and the Frenchmen booked a birth in the World Cup final. With the likes of that lethal striker on the pitch, and a boss like Didier Deschamps on the sidelines, another title is never a distant dream for the French.

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