Euro 2020: France star Kylian Mbappe admits he was "affected" by Olivier Giroud's comments

Kylian Mbappe revealed he was 'affected' by Olivier Giroud's comments ahead of France's UEFA Euro 2020 opener.

Chelsea star Giroud made a couple of controversial remarks regarding a 'lack of service' after France's 3-0 win over Bulgaria last week. Despite scoring twice after coming off the bench, Giroud aimed to take a shot at Mbappe by saying he could have scored more if he was given enough service.

France's World Cup-winning striker told L'Equipe;

"I was a little quiet because sometimes I make runs and the through-balls aren't forthcoming. I'm not saying that I always make the best runs, but I always look to offer solutions in the box."

"With two good balls supplied from Ben [Pavard] and Wissam [Ben Yedder] I finished well, but we could have scored more goals if we had been more efficient."

Giroud came in and recorded a brace after Benzema picked up a knock in the first half 😮 pic.twitter.com/6v4iWKB9A3

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 8, 2021

Mbappe has now spoken about how he has been impacted by the comments made by his France teammate. Speaking at a press conference ahead of France's Euro 2020 opener against Germany, the 22-year-old explained;

"I spoke with Olivier Giroud. Everyone knows what happened. It is true that I was a little affected by it. But we are not going to make a big deal about it because we are here to represent France, that is the most important thing. What he said didn't bother me more than that, I'm a striker and I've had this feeling 365 times in a game."

40 - Kylian Mbappé scored his 40th goal for Paris in 2020/21 in all competitions (26 in Ligue 1), his best tally in a single season. Unstoppable. #PSGSDR pic.twitter.com/Uae9kwVsdJ

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) May 16, 2021

The France international continued,

"I congratulated him in the locker room, he didn't say anything to me and then I heard from the press. He didn't say anything bad. It's more the fact of talking about it publicly, I would have preferred to let him come and be even more vocal in the locker room. But that's not a problem, these are small trifles. The team does not need us to get in the way."

Mbappe is in line to start for France at Euro 2020 but Olivier Giroud could find himself on the bench due to Karim Benzema's recall to the side. The Real Madrid veteran was the headline selection for Les Bleus for Euro 2020 as he returned to the fray after a six-year absence.

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France coach Didier Deschamps diffuses Mbappe-Giroud tension ahead of Euro 2020

France v Moldova - UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifier

Despite the public exchange of words between two of France's star forwards, Didier Deschamps has reiterated that the matter has been resolved internally. The World Cup-winning coach described the situation as a 'non-problem' and revealed that he spoke to the players.

Deschamps explained;

"That Olivier Giroud, like any striker, says that he does not receive the balls, it is a non-problem. There was no convocation, I discuss it with the whole of the group. Today, whatever we may say, the slightest word leads to interpretation, which can be diverse and varied. The most important thing is what happens internally. And internally, there is no problem."

France are set to open their Euro 2020 campaign at the Allianz Arena in Munich against Germany, followed by a trip to Budapest to face Hungary.

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