Emmanuel Macron emphasises that the French players should be proud of themselves after the haunting World Cup final against Argentina. After the thriller, the president stepped into the dressing room to address the internationals.
Shortly after the final whistle, Macron was already emphatically present on the field. He entered into a conversation with the deeply disappointed Kylian Mbappé when the 23-year-old attacker didn’t seem to feel like it yet and then talked to the star player again on stage at the award ceremony. Macron urged him to be proud too.
“Mbappe is a great player, but he is still young. I told him that he is still only 23 years old and that he has become the top scorer of this World Cup. He has already won a World Cup and was now in the final. I told him that he has made us very proud and that ultimately losing is also part of the sport,” said France’s president at RMC Sport.
He also briefly reflected on the game, “We were far behind at the end of the first half. But there have been comebacks like this before, albeit rare. We came back great. It was extraordinary what Mbappé did, but the whole team was hungry again. I was really hopeful. In extra time, we created a second miracle by coming back out of nowhere. We were very close.”
Through his Twitter account, Macron shared the speech he gave in the Les Bleus dressing room. He stressed that the players should be proud, no matter how painful losing a World Cup final is.
Pele’s compliment
“Football has again provided a captivating story today. Messi who wins his first world title, fully deserved after the path he has traveled,” said Pelé, who also pays attention to Kylian Mbappé, who made a hat-trick and scored in the penalty shootout. “My great friend Mbappé, who scored four goals in a final. It was a gift to see this spectacle. I also want to reflect on Morocco’s incredible achievements. It is wonderful to see Africa shine. Congratulations Argentina! No doubt Diego is smiling now,” Pelé finally referred to Diego Armando Maradona.
