Everyone and their mother must have come across a Kylian Mbappe interview in the past few days. Since extending his contract at PSG the man has been a quote machine, talking about anything and everything.
The French forward’s extension came as a surprise for many. Till last week Mbappe was all set to join his dream club Real Madrid.
Los Blancos fans are angry at the player, and his endless interviews since extending don’t seem to be gaining him any favour among the fans.
Now supporters of Brazil and Argentina national teams seem to have joined Real Madrid fans in being irritated by the Frenchman’s words. In a recent interview, Mbappe took an unexpected dig at the level of the two teams.
Via TNT Sports Brasil, the PSG forward was quoted, “Argentina and Brazil don’t play games at a high level to get to the World Cup. Football is not as advanced as it is in Europe and it shows when you watch the last World Cups.”
People did not take too kindly to his words. Liverpool and Brazil national team midfielder responded via ESPN Argentina by saying, “Playing in South America is different, it’s not easy, we have to play in places like Bolivia, have France ever played in Bolivia? Brazil and Argentina I think, would be ranked as top in the group in Europe.”
One could see this as a rare instance where you can understand both sides of the coin. If you consider the fact that the last three world cups have been won by a European nation, Mbappe’s words hold weight. Italy, which won the Euros last year, were unable to qualify for the World Cup, which shows how tough European competition is.
On the other hand, South American countries do have to play in very difficult circumstances. Playing in Bolivia, as Fabinho mentioned, isn’t easy. At an altitude of 12,000 feet, the high oxygen levels don’t help players who have to run up and down for 90 minutes.
Who is correct? We can’t say. The upcoming World Cup may give us an answer. National team squads across continents are more stacked than ever. Let’s see what winter 2022 has in store for us.
