France superstar revealed that he knew Argentine legend Lionel Messi had sealed the 2022 Ballon d’Or when the latter led his sde to their third FIFA World Cup title in Qatar.
Mbappe noted that despite his
incredible performances that year, lifting the quadrennial spectacle silverware makes a world of difference.
“As soon as the World Cup final in 2022 ended, I knew Messi has won the Ballon d’Or,” the French skipper said.
“I had a great season, just like Haaland, but when you win the World Cup it makes the difference,” the Real Madrid striker added.
Messi marked his crowning moment at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with a decisive victory over France, leading Argentina to their third title. The thrilling match between Argentina and France ended 3-3 after extra time, necessitating a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner.
Messi scored twice for Argentina, with Angel Di Maria adding another goal. Kylian Mbappe responded with three goals, making it an electrifying game.
Argentina started their World Cup campaign with a surprising 1-2 defeat to Saudi Arabia but turned their fortunes around with a 2-0 win over Mexico. They secured their spot in the knockout stages with another 2-0 win over Poland.
In the Round of 16, Argentina outperformed Australia with a 2-1 win, followed by a thrilling quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands, ending 4-3 in favour of Albiceleste. Messi and his team then dominated Croatia 3-0 in the semifinal before clinching the prestigious trophy after the exhilarating final.
France and Mbappe look to make ammends at the upcoming edition of the showpiece event slated to be held in the USA, Mexico and Canada as Les Blues go in search of their third title. The event will mark the final run of head coach Didier Deschamps’, who has clinched the coveted title both as a player and as a manager, at the helm of the team.
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