Kylian Mbappe has admitted that he was still angry when he saw his then-Paris Saint-Germain teammate Lionel Messi at training after the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Argentina became world champions in 2022 in Qatar after beating France 4-2 on penalties to claim football's biggest prize.
Superstars Messi and Mbappe dominated the final, as the Argentine captain netted a brace, while the Frenchman grabbed a sensational hat-trick as the match finished 3-3 after extra-time.
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During this period, the two players were teammates at PSG, though their relationship was rumoured to be shaky as Messi was reportedly not too pleased with how much power Mbappe was given in the dressing room.
Moreover, Mbappe's tumultuous relationship with Neymar was also rumoured to be a point of contention for Messi.
After the World Cup, it quickly became clear that many in France were unwilling to embrace Messi's triumph, as PSG were also reluctant to celebrate the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's success at the tournament.
Now, Mbappe has admitted that he was still upset when he came across the Albiceleste skipper in training in Paris after the showpiece.
"After the World Cup final, when I saw Messi at PSG training, I was still so angry. But he told me I had already won it before, and now it was his turn," Mbappe told Canal+.
"I was furious, but you respect it because it's Messi. We broke the ice by laughing together because we had fought a battle. We created memories from the final. I think that final brought us closer together.
"I learned a lot from him. Messi does everything well. You can learn everything from a guy like that. I used to go up to him and ask him, 'how do you do this? how do you do that?'"
Messi would also later admit that he was left feeling disheartened by how he didn't get the reception he felt he deserved after the World Cup.
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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