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Kylian Mbappe almost managed to ruin Argentina's dream during the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. Argentine fans must have had chills down their spines when Mbappe equalized with a late brace within 90 minutes. He did it again in extra-time, scoring a 118th-minute penalty.
La Albiceleste fans have now, sort of, taken their revenge. Mbappe faced fans' wrath as Argentine supporters burned the talismanic Frenchman's image during Lionel Scaloni's team's victory parade in Buenos Aires.
Mbappe, meanwhile, is celebrating his 24th birthday today. The behavior of the Argentina fans is probably not a gift he would have wanted.
Regardless, Kylian Mbappe certainly had a spectacular tournament in Qatar. He scored eight goals, bagging the Golden Boot award. Three of those eight strikes came in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Mbappe scored two penalties and a spectacular volley.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup loss against Argentina was heart breaking for Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is the first player since Sir Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick in the final of the FIFA World Cup. Hurst, who did it in 1966, ended up in the winning side as the World Cup came home to England on that occasion.
That, however, wasn't the case with Mbappe. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward came agonizingly close to becoming a two-time world champion.
Not many players get to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final. Hence, it's tough for one to end up on the losing team despite putting on an extraordinary performance.
France coach Didier Deschamps echoed the same sentiment. Deschamps told the media after the final (via The Guardian):
“Kylian has really left his mark on this final. Unfortunately he didn’t end in the way he would have liked and that’s why he was disappointed at the end of the match like all the players.”
Nonetheless, Mbappe is only 24 and should play many more editions of the FIFA World Cup in the near future. Hence, the French ace will have the chance to capture the holy grail at least once again during his career.
