A cheesed-off Emiliano Martinez has told Kylian Mbappe that his criticism of South American football wasn't so wise ahead of their seismic World Cup final clash.
France superstar Mbappe made headlines earlier this year by claiming that South America isn't as advanced as his native Europe, prompting criticism from some of the continent's biggest names. "The advantage we have in Europe is that we play among ourselves with high-level matches all the time, such as the Nations League," the Paris Saint-Germain forward declared in May when looking ahead to the tournament in Qatar.
"When we arrive at the World Cup, we are ready, where Brazil and Argentina do not have this level in South America. Football is not as advanced as in Europe. That’s why at the last World Cups, it's always the Europeans who win."
Coincidentally, Mbappe's France will face a South American nation for the first time at the 2022 World Cup in the final - Martinez's Argentina. And ahead of Sunday's mouth-watering matchup, the Aston Villa goalkeeper has responded to Mbappe's inflammatory comments.
"He said that the level of South America is lower than the European level because he did not play there," Martinez affirmed in a press conference previewing the final. "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."
The 30-year-old isn't alone in his stance either, as legendary teammate Lionel Messi - who notably plays alongside Mbappe for PSG - agrees that the South American game is underestimated. "Many times we talked about that in Spain," Messi told TyC Sports when Mbappe's comments were broached, having spent two trophy-laden decades experiencing the European game with Barcelona.
"When we returned from a qualifier, we told them, 'You don't know how difficult it would be for you to qualify for the World Cup if you had to go there, at altitude, in the heat, in Venezuela'."
Have your say! Who'll win the World Cup final - France or Argentina? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
World Cup qualification is indeed a different beast in South America, as 10 nations scrap it out for four automatic places and one intercontinental play-off berth. Whereas in Europe, 55 sides are divided into 10 groups and have a total of 13 World Cup spots up for grabs - taken by the group winners and three teams via the European-only play-offs.
On Sunday, fans are set to see what appear to be the two finest nations from each continent face off at Lusail Stadium, and it's impossible to pick a clear favourite. France are the holders, who have the know-how from 2018 and enough quality on paper to retain their title as world champions.
Argentina, meanwhile, have Messi - and he's sometimes all they need. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has grabbed the tournament by the scruff of the neck and dragged his teammates through a rollercoaster campaign, having lost their opening match to Saudi Arabia. It would be Messi's first World Cup, having suffered heartache eight years ago, when Germany beat the Albiceleste in extra-time.
