Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi were spotted in Times Square, New York in stealth mode as Argentina World Cup hero Lionel Messi returned to PSG after World Cup celebrations.
The duo, who are known to be very close friends, missed from PSG’s guard of honour for Lionel Messi as he returned to the team’s training ground after his World Cup heroics.
While most of his Argentina teammates returned to their respective clubs after their World Cup victory, Lionel Messi was the last man standing. He was spotted in Rosario hosting parties and having a nice time with his family members after the World Cup victory.
His PSG teammate, Kylian Mbappe, who also delivered a masterclass performance in the World Cup final had cut shot his World Cup off and returned to the club.
Kylian Mbappe featured in PSG’s first Ligue 1 clash against Strasbourg after the World Cup, and scored the last-minute winner for the Ligue 1 giants.
Lionel Messi was spotted in Argentina celebrating the win as he continued on his break after the World Cup win.
After handful of celebrations, Lionel Messi returned to PSG with a guard of honour mounted by the players and staff to welcome him back into the team.
Messi walked down the middle to the applause of the players, and was handed a small trophy by the club in recognition of his World Cup masterclass.
Among the players who welcomed Lionel Messi back to the team were Neymar Jr, Soler, Ekitike, Kylian Mbappe’s brother, Ethan Mbappe, and others.
Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi were missing from the guard of honour. The went on a short new year break and were spotted in Times Square New York going on stealth mode with massive face covers.
They joined a stand of spectators on the streets of New York to watch a show, and were not recognized by the spectators.
It is still unclear why Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi were absent from PSG’s guard of honour as Lionel Messi returned to the team.
Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi went shoulders to shoulders in the 2022 World Cup final at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
Both players left no stone unturned dragging the 2022 World Cup final to penalties. Messi scored twice, while Mbappe scored thrice as they looked to win a third World Cup trophy for their respective countries .
The match was later decided on penalties, with Kylian Mbappe losing out while Lionel Messi won his first World Cup trophy with Argentina.
Kylian Mbappe was the center of Argentina’s mocking World Cup celebrations led by Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Martinez’s celebrations antics aimed at Kylian Mbappe had angered the French press, who blasted the Premier League goalkeeper for disrespecting the highly-rated PSG star.
However, Kylian Mbappe seemed to have play down Martinez’s antics, saying he is eager to welcome back Leo Messi to PSG after the World Cup.
Now, he and his close friend Achraf Hakimi were absent in the guard of honour mounted for Leo by his teammates after he touched down in Paris on January 4.
PSG host Auxerre in their next Ligue 1 clash. Mbappe and Hakimi will be expected to return to the team ahead of the game.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi will not feature for the team against Auxerre, but will play in the game against Angers.
