Two-goal hero insists he’s not interested in Golden Boot
Kylian Mbappe ended his media silence after he fired France into the quarterfinals with a brace against Poland and insisted his only objective is to win a second consecutive World Cup.
Two curled finishes by Mbappe put the holders through and have the fivegoal Paris St Germain attacker on course to win the Golden Boot.
Mbappe also provided an assist for Olivier Giroud’s opener but insisted after his side’s 3-1 victory that personal accolades are of no interest to him.
“The only objective for me is to win the World Cup,” Mbappe said in English. “Now to win the next game, the quarter-final, is the most important thing and that is what I dream. The only thing I dream of is this.
“I came here to win this World Cup. I didn’t come here to win the Golden Ball or Golden Boot. If I win it, of course I’m going to be happy but that’s not why I am here. I am here to win and to help the French national team.”
After scoring in groupstage victories over Australia and Denmark, Mbappe refused to take part in any post-match interviews.
The 23-year-old added: “It wasn’t anything personal, I can assure you of that. I have nothing against journalists but I just needed to focus on the tournament and on my football.
“When I want to concentrate on something, that is the way I function and that is why I did not want to come and speak to you before now.”
“So far things have been going well but we are a long way from the ultimate objective, which is to win the World Cup. Now we have to focus on the quarter-final and that is the most important thing now.”
National team boss Didier
Deschamps praised Mbappe’s impact and also paid tribute to Giroud, who become France’s record scorer with his 44th-minute strike – moving ahead of Thierry Henry onto 52 goals for his country.
“Kylian can change a match in just a moment and he is always playing with such joy and we all want to share those smiles with him. France needed a great Kylian Mbappe tonight and they got one,” Deschamps admitted.
“Olivier is often criticised but he has managed to remain strong, mentally strong and yes he has broken the record.”