France’s Kylian Mbappe has disclosed that he was prepared to pay a fine imposed by the French Football Federation due to his refusal to conduct media responsibilities during the World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe lit up the globe again as France defeated Poland 3-1 to go to the World Cup quarter-finals, scoring a spectacular brace to tie Lionel Messi for the most goals scored at the tournament (9).
The 23-year-old continues to break new ground and inspire Les Bleus as they race through the World Cup in the hopes of being the first country ever to retain the trophy, and is ready to go to extraordinary measures to avoid being distracted by outside noise.
Mbappe justified his absence from media obligations following his stellar performance: “I know there were a lot of inquiries about why I wasn’t speaking (to the press). For all the journalists there, there was nothing personal against the journalists and nothing against the people.
“It’s just that I constantly need to focus on my competition, and when I focus on anything, I have to give it my all and not lose energy to something else. That’s why I didn’t want to expose myself (to the media).”
He added: “I just discovered that the (French Football) Federation would be fined (for him not wanting to do media). I promised to pay it myself since the Federation cannot pay for a personal choice.”
Mbappe is a World Cup champion, having scored in the final against Croatia in 2018, but he has made no secret of his ambition to prosper on the global stage once more: “Of course, this World Cup is an obsession; it’s the tournament of my dreams, I have the opportunity to participate in it, and I’ve constructed my season physically and emotionally around it.
“I wanted to come prepared, and for the time being, things are going well, but we are still a long way from (the) goal that we have set and that I have set for myself, which is to win.”
On December 10, Didier Deschamps’ squad will face England in the final eight.
