The French national football team said goodbye to the Euro-2020 tournament at the round of 16 stage. At that time, Kylian Mbappé made a mistake in the penalty shootout, and because of this mistake, he intended to end his activity in the national team.
Mbappé, in an interview with The Bridge podcast, said the following: “They started to insult me. I thought: ‘The national team is the highest level for me, but if you don’t score a goal, they immediately throw you into the mud.’ This incident completely changed my attitude towards the national team. You cannot put everything in one basket, because they take that basket and immediately throw it into the trash. This was very cruel for me.”
Mbappé added: “I stated that I did not want to return. I met with the former president of the French Football Federation, Noël Le Graët, and said: ‘I will no longer play. I cannot go onto the field for people who call me a monkey if I do not score.’ Le Graët replied: ‘You will just leave my room, and do you think I will agree? Forget it.’”
As a result, Mbappé stayed in the team and two years later reached the 2022 World Cup final with France. This event showed that Mbappé possesses professionalism and mental resilience despite external pressure and criticism.
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