Argentina’s penalty hero Emiliano Martinez told his team to have a minute of silence for Kylian Mbappe as he cruelly mocked the French superstar during celebrations after winning the World Cup.
Mbappe was on the losing side despite scoring a hat-trick and netting in the shootout in a classic final between France and Argentina in Qatar on Sunday.
Goalkeeper Martinez saved Kingsley Coman’s penalty and saw Aurelien Tchouameni miss as Argentina were crowned world champions for the first time in 36 years.
Footage later emerged of Argentina’s players dancing around the dressing room and singing “a minute’s silence for”, before leaving a gap for Martinez to shout: "For Mbappe who is dead!"
That came after Martinez had comforted Mbappe on the pitch during his side’s celebrations, with the Les Bleus forward inconsolable following the defeat.
Emiliano Martinez asking for a minute of silence for Kylian Mbappé in the middle of Argentina's dressing room celebrations.. 😐#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/k2phupBsT6
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) December 18, 2022
He still couldn’t resist the jibe after feeling his counterpart had insulted South American football due to the continent’s previous failure to produce a World Cup winner since 2002.
The Paris Saint-Germain striker had previously said European sides had the advantage at World Cups because they play “high-level matches all the time”.
Martinez responded this week: "He said that the level of South America is lower than the European level because he did not play there.
"If you do not have the experience then it is difficult to comment, but nothing was wrong with what he said. They know we are a world-class team and they respect us for that."
Alongside winning the World Cup, Martinez was also handed the Golden Glove award for the tournament’s best goalkeeper at Lusail Stadium.
He quickly courted further controversy by making a sexual gesture with the trophy on the pitch during the celebrations after the match.
Martinez has been in a combative mood in Qatar, telling Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal to “keep his mouth shut” after saving two penalties in the quarter-finals.
He also called referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz “useless” after a match that saw a tournament-record 18 cards issued.
