Kylian Mbappe breaks silence after losing out on the FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy despite being the first player to score a hattrick in the World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in the 1966.
Following France’s World Cup final loss to Argentina, Kylian Mbappe has spoken out and given a defiant message with an eye toward 2026.
Les Bleus, who were the defending champions going into Qatar 2022, came up short in their attempt to defend their title, losing on penalties after battling to a dramatic 3-3 draw with Lionel Messi and company over the course of 120 minutes.
Mbappe scored a hat-trick in that match, becoming the first player to do so in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst for England in 1966, but his team lost, and he now needs to regroup before future attempts at winning the world championship.
Despite his valiant efforts against Argentina being fruitless, Mbappe still seems upbeat as evidenced by his social media comment, which reads: “We shall return.”
The rest of the world has been forewarned because Mbappe, who has already won one World Cup championship medal, is keen to live up to the label of “next great” (GOAT) to join the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kylian Mbappe
French professional footballer Kylian Mbappe Lottin (born December 20, 1998) plays forward for Ligue 1 team Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team.
Mbappe, one of the top players in the world, is known for his remarkable pace, dribbling skills, and finishing.
Mbappé started his professional club career in 2015 by playing for Monaco, where he won the Ligue 1 championship. He was born in Paris and reared in the nearby town of Bondy.
Mbappé became the second-most expensive player and most expensive adolescent player in 2017 when he signed for Paris Saint-Germain for an eventual permanent move of €180 million. He was 18 years old at the time.
He has four Ligue 1 championships, three Coupes de France, and is the club’s second-leading goalscorer all-time. In 2020, he assisted PSG in reaching their first UEFA Champions League Final.
Mbappé earned his senior debut for France in 2017 at the age of 18 on the international stage.
Mbappé became the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup Final at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He also became the youngest French player to score at a World Cup.
He scored two of the two goals that helped France win the tournament, and for his efforts, he was named the French Player of the Year and Best Young Player at the FIFA World Cup.
With Mbappé scoring a hat-trick in the championship match, collecting the tournament’s Golden Boot, and becoming the most prolific scorer in World Cup finals ever, France came in second place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Mbappe Sets World Cup Record Despite Defeat
With a hat-trick on Sunday, Kylian Mbappe brought his total of World Cup final goals to a record four, as France tied Argentina 3-3 before losing on penalties.
Here, we take a closer look at each of the 23-year-old Paris St. Germain forward’s contributions during the last two finals. It was only the second men’s World Cup final treble in history, joining England forward Sir Geoff Hurst in 1966.
2018 World Cup
In the 4-2 victory over Croatia that saw France win the title in Russia, Mbappe—then 19—scored the final goal for his team and his fourth of the competition.
He scored at the Luzhniki Stadium in the 65th minute to give Les Bleus a 4-1 lead by putting a low attempt from distance past Danijel Subasic. Since Pele scored for Brazil in the 1958 World Cup final at the age of 17, he became the first teenager to do so.
Mbappe’s 2022 World Cup – First Goal
Mbappe entered Sunday’s match at Lusail Stadium with five goals already to his name for the competition.
With about 10 minutes of regular time remaining, Polish referee Szymon Marciniak determined that Nicolas Otamendi had pulled back Randal Kolo Muani in the box and awarded a penalty, giving Mbappe the opportunity to add another and give France a lifeline at a 2-0 deficit.
Emiliano Martinez correctly predicted the direction of the ensuing shot from 12 yards, but he was unable to stop the ball from entering the goal.
Mbappe’s 2022 World Cup final – Second Goal
In a matter of seconds, Mbappe had scored again and France had drawn even. Mbappe and Marcus Thuram played a one-two and smashed the ball into the goal to force extra time after the ball was moved from Kingsley Coman to Adrien Rabiot.
Mbappe’s 2022 World Cup final – Third Goal
With just two minutes remaining in the extra time, Mbappe provided another equalizer, once more scoring from the penalty spot to edge Lionel Messi out for the Golden Boot. This completed his unbelievable treble.
Due to a handball, Gonzalo Montiel was given a penalty, which Mbappe confidently converted.
He went on to defeat Martinez once more in the ensuing shootout, but he lost as Argentina won 4-2.
