The day Mbappé destroyed South American football with a statement that sparked controversy: “It’s not as advanced as in Europe”

kylian mbappe He is the scorer and one of the most important figures of the Qatar World Cup but silently treads his adventure through the Middle East, where this Sunday he could win his second World Cup with the French National. The PSG star will have three open fronts when the final kicks off in Lusail: the Argentina national teamYour partner Lionel Messi and a finer one, all the South American football.

The top star of Didier Deschamps’ squad will be looking to break the defense that sets up the staggered and they will do so by moving to the far left or running into the center of the attack, as at the end of the match against Morocco. It is the most dangerous weapon of the Gauls, as we know. Even if in the last two games he hasn’t been able to extend his scoring streak: He has 5 goals, one against Australia, two against Denmark and two against Poland.

Mbappé will also see faces with Messihis partner in that heavy wardrobe of paris saint germain. The 23-year-old jewel maintains a relationship of esteem and admiration with the 35-year-old genius, at least publicly, but Leo is known to have a lot of chemistry with Neymar, the one that has had its twists and turns with Kylian. And that all changed this year when the French threatened to go to Real Madrid and ended up practically owning the place.

But Kylian will also play against the ghosts of what many call karma. Is that in May of this year he gave an interview and appealing to common sensehe left an untaped opinion that was poorly received in this part of the planet.

“The advantage we have in Europe over Argentina and Brazil is that we always play top-level matches here. Now the UEFA Nations League begins, for example, and when we get to the World Cup we’ll be ready,” Mbappé said, in line with something he himself had scored vindictively Lionel Scaloni.

And then he added: “Argentina and Brazil don’t have it in this aspect. In South America football is not as advanced as in Europe. That’s why, when you look at the last World Cup, it’s always the Europeans that win.”

The Frenchman’s words, without the appropriate context, have rebounded strongly in the world of football. The Dibu Martínez, for example, was one of those who came out at the crossroads. “They don’t know what it’s like to play there,” he said, recalling the difficulties of playing the South American qualifiers, with the away matches and the penalty of the clashes.

The statistics confirm what Mbappé has expressed. The main leagues of Europe and the richest clubs in the world are fed by players of these latitudes. The Champions League is played by the best names not only from Argentina and Brazil, but also from Uruguay, Ecuador and Colombia, among others.

And a review of World Cup history shows that it has been 20 years since a team from the New World was last champion. It was Brazil in Korea and Japan 2002, the last season of a dispute that until then had been very close, crossing the scepter from one side of the Atlantic to the other.

In Germany 2006 Italy was the champion, in South Africa 2010 Spain followed, in Brazil 2014 Germany celebrated as guests and in Russia 2018 France. Mbappé’s France that can be champion twice at the hands of Mbappé.