Emiliano Martinez, the goalkeeper for Argentina, viciously mocked Kylian Mbappe by requesting a “moment of silence” for him among the festivities in the locker room.
Mbappe was outstanding for France against Argentina, becoming just the second player in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. However, it was in vain as Emiliano Martinez guided the South Americans to victory in the penalty shootout following a dramatic 3-3 tie.
- Luciano Spalletti Hailed By EX-Napoli Player For Current Napoli Form
- Andrea Pirlo Reveals He Was Close To Joining Real Madrid After 2006 World Cup
Following some contentious remarks made by the Frenchman in May, resentment between Mbappe and the Argentinians was already high.
“South American teams have disadvantages because they don’t have the same level of competition as European teams,” Mbappe had previous said.
“Argentina and Brazil don’t play matches at a high level to get to the World Cup. Football is not as advanced as it is in Europe. That’s what you saw in recent World Cups.”
Martinez was questioned about such remarks before to the championship game, and it is clear that the Argentine players were thinking about them.
"A minute of silence for … Mbappe!" 😅
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 18, 2022
Emiliano Martinez during Argentina's dressing room celebration.
(via nicolasotamendi30/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/dwm3IrUNWG
“He doesn’t know enough about football,” Martinez said of Mbappe.
“He never played in South America. When you don’t have this experience, it may be better not to talk about it. But it doesn’t matter. We are a great team, recognised as such.”
