Kylian Mbappe responds to Emi Martinez receiving the FIFA award as Lionel Messi takes home the top prize.
Kylian Mbappe didn’t seem delighted to watch World Cup opponent Emi Martinez win a major prize.
— Burner (@Burnerdz) December 24, 2022
On Monday night, the greats of world football gathered in Paris for the 2022 Best FIFA Awards. Lionel Messi won men’s player of the year after leading Argentina to World Cup victory in December. Despite scoring a hat-trick in the final and winning the tournament’s Golden Boot, Mbappe’s PSG teammate missed out.
And there appeared to be more sadness for the French forward when Martinez of Aston Villa won the men’s goalkeeper award. Martinez won the award over Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Morocco’s Yassine Bounou. The camera moved to Mbappe, who was sitting next to Messi, as the Villa number one was giving his award speech.
Mbappe’s emotions were evident, with the finest striker on the planet sporting a thunderous grin. Given the antagonism that has evolved between the two, the reaction was somewhat unsurprising.
Martinez mocked Mbappe on multiple times after the World Cup. Martinez joked in the locker room after the game about observing a minute of silence for Mbappe. Then, during the Bueno Aires celebratory bus tour, Martinez was photographed holding a toy with Mbappe’s likeness on it.
Martinez, on the other hand, eventually attempted to disassociate himself from his acts. “I held it for about two minutes and threw it away, that’s all,” he told L’Equipe of the doll. “How can I belittle Mbappe?”
“ He scored four past me. Four goals in a final! He must think I am his toy baby! I have huge respect for Mbappe.”
Martinez also claimed that he praised Mbappe to his face after the World Cup final. He said: “I told him he should be proud of himself and keep his head high, because he played a fantastic game and that he was one of the best players in the world.”
After returning to PSG duty in December, Mbappe was asked by reporters if he had any response to Martinez. “They are not my problem. I don’t have the energy to waste on such futile things,” he said.
Discussion about this post