Kylian Mbappe has explained why he had not previously spoken during the World Cup as he agreed to pay a fine sanctioned by FIFA.
Mbappe scored two stunning goals as France eased into the World Cup quarter-finals with a comfortable victory over Poland on Sunday with a Round of 16 victory. It continued a superb tournament for the striker, who has moved on to five goals in three starts.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar had already netted twice to fire France to a deserved 2-1 victory over Denmark in the group stage of the tournament having previously found the back of the net in France's opening-game 4-1 victory over Australia.
However, M bappe was due to be fined after ignoring his media duties following those matches. The striker refused to stop and speak to the media in the mixed zone after either group stage game, despite being named Man of the Match, and that meant that he and the French Football Federation (FFF) were due to be fined – with the striker now agreeing to cover all of the fee.
He explained on Sunday, when finally breaking his media silence: "I have nothing against journalists, if I didn't come to talk it's because I need to fully concentrate on the competition and not waste energy on other things." Mbappe also confirmed he would pay the fine in full.
The striker had wanted to minimise his quotes as he was likely to be asked about his future at club level, which he does not wish to discuss. Not only is this unlikely to produce any meaningful answers, but anything that the striker does say could be seen as a distraction for the French team.
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Furthermore, the striker did not want to speak about his image rights or any questions relating to the consumption of alcohol tied into that – having previously spoken out about why he did not wish to be associated with brands that had been tied into player’s deals with the football federation.
The striker added during his comments after beating Poland: "This World Cup is my obsession, it is the competition of my dreams. I have built my entire season around this competition, I have prepared myself to the fullest both physically and mentally to win it, which is the goal I have set for myself, although it is still far away. The only goal is to win the World Cup, the rest is secondary."
Mbappe is said to be unhappy at PSG amid continued speculation that he could leave the club, possibly as early as the January transfer window. However, for now, the striker is fully focused on the World Cup and will not speak over his club situation.
