Kylian Mbappe exhibited class by assisting Achraf Hakimi to his feet following France’s World Cup victory over Morocco on Wednesday.
Following a 2-0 victory at the Al Bayt Stadium, goals from Theo Hernandez and substitute Randal Kolo Muani propelled France into their second consecutive World Cup final. Argentina will now play the reigning champions at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday.
The Moroccan defender Hakimi was upset by his team’s tight loss, but Mbappe, France’s star player, was there to help him up before swapping shirts.
In addition to being teammates at Ligue 1 winners Paris Saint-Germain, Hakimi and Mbappe are good friends.
After France ended Hakimi and Morocco’s dream of playing in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final with a 2-0 defeat on Wednesday, Mbappe took to his Instagram page to cheer up his club teammate.
The PSG Talisman wrote on his social media accounts that: “Don’t be sad bro, everybody is proud of what you did, you made history.”
A picture of Mbappe and Hakimi cuddling after the final whistle was included with the text.
The PSG duo had to put their friendship on hold on Wednesday for 90 minutes as Hakimi man-marked Mbappe. Before the semi-final, Morocco manager Walid Regragui said, “He knows Mbappe better than I do; he trains with him every day.”
According to reports, Hakimi and Mbappe are “inseparable” at PSG and spend a lot of their free time together.
Mbappe reportedly paid a visit to his club teammate at the World Cup following France’s victory over Poland in the last 16.
Furthermore, it’s believed that Hakimi’s “penguin” celebration following the winning penalty in Morocco’s shootout victory over Spain in the round of 16 was an inside joke with Mbappe and another PSG player, Sergio Ramos.
Even before the semi-final, Hakimi and Mbappe sent each other good luck messages. Hakimi tweeted, “See you soon, dear friend,” to which Mbappe responded with three hearts.
On Wednesday, the two engaged in a historic struggle, but Mbappe only heads to the final.
Following their outstanding performance, Morocco’s manager Regragui acknowledged being proud of his team.
Morocco made history in Qatar by defeating Canada, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal to become the first African country to get to a World Cup semifinal.
“The most important thing is to have shown a good face, to have shown that football in Morocco exists and that we have great supporters,” Regragui told TF1. “We gave it our best… [the loss] doesn’t take away everything we gave before.”
Didier Deschamps, the manager of France, has likewise pushed his players to defeat Argentina. If Deschamps’ squad wins on Sunday, he will join former Italy manager Vittorio Pozzo as the only coaches to have won two men’s World Cups.
After German hero Franz Beckenbauer and Brazilian legend Mario Zagallo, Deschamps became just the third person to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager when France overcame Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final four years ago.
“There is emotion, pride – it was still a significant step,” After the game, Deschamps addressed the media.
“There will be one last. It’s been a thrill so far working with the guys; it’s never easy. We’ve been together for a month.”
Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi
The connection between Mbappe and Achraf began with Achraf’s recruitment by PSG in 2021 and has grown over time.
They have been spotted hanging out together when they are not in practice for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Even goals are celebrated in the same manner. At PSG, they already did it, but at the World Cup, the Moroccan player who had previously scored a Panenka-style penalty against Spain performed a dance in honor of Kylian Mbappe, who had previously done the same.
It is a friendship that has also had some difficult times, like in last September when the forward was captured on camera yelling at Achraf for failing to throw the ball to him during a PSG match.
The two players started taking vacations together after overcoming such a modest setback, including a well-reported trip to Spain.
Achraf wants his domestic teammate to remain at the Parc des Princes because he adores him according to reports in France.
