New Jersey [US], June 14 (ANI): Ahead of his side’s FIFA World Cup campaign opener against Senegal, France captain Kylian Mbappe said that the dressing room is in “good spirits” and added that he is in good physical shape, raring to return back home with the WC trophy.
France will start their campaign against Senegal in New Jersey on June 17. Mbappe, as skipper and one of the biggest stars in the world, is leading the team’s aspirations for a third World Cup title. He spoke on the dressing room atmosphere, with players from the UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal being a part of it. One of them is William Saliba, the Arsenal star who could not complete a historic double of Premier League and UEFA Champions League as PSG sealed their second successive title.
Speaking ahead of the match, Mbappe spoke on managing the emotions of players from both sides, as quoted by Goal.com, “I quickly congratulated my PSG (his former club) teammates. It is easier to console one teammate (Saliba) who’s lost the Champions League than five. It is brilliant what they (Arsenal) have achieved. I know what it is like to lose a Champions League final, and we have tried to console Saliba. The dressing room is in good spirits, and now we’re focusing on our goal, which is the World Cup.”
Currently, Saliba is recovering from back pains that he has been facing after a hectic season with Arsenal and did not take part in training on Friday. His status for the opener is now known.
Mbappe has scored 12 goals in his two WC appearances, with four of them coming in the finals. He stands just four shy of Germany’s record holder, Miroslav Klose. Mbappe’s focus is not on records, even though he feels nice being amongst the top goal-scorers. The FIFA World Cup title and domination of France, who won the 2018 title, ended as runners-up in 2022 remains Mbappe’s key motivation.
“It is nice because I’m on a list of top goal scorers, though I am not sure if it is fair because they are old compared to me. I have been lucky enough to play in two World Cups and go far, as well as perform well. Of course, I want to keep making history. But what I want most is to return to France with the World Cup,” he said.
Mbappe dismissed any concerns about his fitness, saying that his fitness is at its peak and highlighted how the team is trying to get things right tactically and mentally ahead of the tournament, with the margin of error being very low.
“I am in good physical shape. I am very happy to be with the national team. It is an important moment for us. We are starting to take a lot of things on board internally. We have had a good pre-tournament build-up. We are aware that it is going to be a tough road ahead. We are ready to compete and try to reach the final,” he added.
Mbappe is very well aware of the World Cup’s unpredictable nature, where one bad result can undo all the effort put in during a four-year cycle leading up to it, and he keeps conveying the same to his players, saying that despite the talent, “they have to keep emotions in check”.
“Why should we dampen the players’ enthusiasm? A World Cup is not a series of home-and-away matches. One bad game sends you home. We have to keep our emotions in check. These are messages I convey on a daily basis. We have not achieved anything yet,” he signed off. (ANI)
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