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French journalist Daniel Riolo has heaped praise on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Kylian Mbappe. Riolo believe the forward's influence and popularity have grown astronomically over the past few years.
Mbappe, who is currently among the world's best players, has a FIFA World Cup title (2018) to his name and was the catalyst in France's run to the final of the Qatar World Cup. He scored a hat-trick in the final, but his side finished short of Lionel Messi's Argentina in the penalty shoot-out, losing 4-2.
He also voiced his support for Zinedine Zidane after French Football president Noel Le Great took shots at the footballing great. Kylian Mbappe posted a tweet in the former Real Madrid manager's defense, saying:
"Zidane is France, we don't disrespect the legend like that."
Mbappe's comments started a storm that ended with Le Graet apologizing to Zidane. This prompted Riolo to say on RMC Sport (via le10sport):
"Mbappe transcends, he's not just a player. He speaks on important subjects, he spoke about the rights to the FFF. He even indirectly blew the president off with his thinking. Mbappé has become a personality, not just on the pitch."
Kylian Mbappe is currently in the Middle East, with PSG preparing to face a Riyadh XI side that will feature Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo on Thursday, January 19.
Why Kylian Mbappe questioned FFF president's comments on Zinedine Zidane
Noel Le Graet had harshly dismissed links between Zinedine Zidane and the France national team following Didier Deshcamp's contract extension.
The FFF president said (via Give Me Sport):
"If Zidane tried to contact me (about becoming France's head coach), no, I wouldn’t have picked up the phone. Of course not, I wouldn’t have even picked up the phone.
"He had a lot of supporters, some were waiting for Deschamps to leave. But who can seriously criticize Deschamps? No one can."
However, the storm stirred by Kylian Mbappe's comments forced Le Graet to issue an apology. He said (via RMC Sport):
"I want to apologize for these remarks which do not reflect my thoughts, nor my consideration for the player he was and the coach he has become.
"I gave an interview to RMC that I should not have granted because he was looking for controversy by opposing Didier to Zinédine Zidane, two monuments of French football."
He added:
"I admit to having made awkward remarks that created a misunderstanding. Zinedine Zidane knows the immense esteem I have for him, like all French people."
It's worth noting that Le Graet stepped down from his position earlier this month after the association held an emergency meeting.
