‘Mbappe doesn’t know enough about football’: Argentina goalkeeper Martinez

In May, Kylian Mbappe had said that the European teams hold an advantage over Argentina and Brazil as “football in South America is not as advanced as in Europe”.

A day before the world cup final, Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has said that Mbappe should not comment on issues he doesn't understand.

“He doesn't know enough about football. 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, recognized as such,” Martinez told reporters in Qatar.

This is what Mbappe had said in May to the Brazilian television TNT Sports.

“The advantage we have in Europe is that we play among ourselves with high-level matches all the time, such as the League of Nations for example. When we arrive at the World Cup, we are ready, where Brazil and Argentina do not have this level in South America. Football is not as advanced as in Europe. That's why at the last World Cups, it's always the Europeans who win.”

Messi did respond to Mbappe's comment about South American football. “Many times we talked about that in Spain,” Messi said in an interview with TyC Sports. “When we returned from a qualifier, we told them: 'You don't know how difficult it would be for you to qualify for the World Cup if you had to go there, at altitude, in the heat, in Venezuela.”

So would Brazil's coach Tite. “Maybe [Mbappe] is talking about these Nations League clashes or European friendlies, but not World Cup qualifiers,” Tite said.

There was also an on-field incident in August between Messi and Mbappe, both team-mates at the club PSG, that had created an outrage for a while.

In August, in a 5-2 win for PSG over Montpellier, Mbappe gave up on a counterattack after not having received a cross from Messi. A short while later, he would push Messi with his shoulder – Messi would have an expression of shock on his face.

Former England footballer Wayne Rooney was aghast. “A 23-year-old player commits to pushing Messi, I have never seen a bigger ego in my life. Someone should remind Mbappe that when Messi was 23 he had already won four Ballon d'Ors.”

Things did seem to get normal in PSG's next game with Messi crossing and Mbappe finishing a goal – and he would then point his finger at Messi and jubilantly walk towards him.