"France Made Us Dream" President Macron Comforts Mbappe

Hug Between Mbappe and After the Final Match

On the 18th (local time), after the 2022 Qatar World Cup final match ended, French President Emmanuel Macron is embracing Kylian Mbapp?. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Although the 'defending champion' jinx was broken, the French national football team failed to achieve back-to-back World Cup victories, and President Emmanuel Macron comforted them. On the 18th (local time), President Macron, who watched the 2022 Qatar World Cup final match in person, hugged France's star forward Kylian Mbapp? (24, Paris Saint-Germain) on that day.

On the same day, President Macron posted on his social media account to console the efforts of the French national football team. He said, "The French team moved the entire country and fans around the world," and "Les Bleus (the nickname of the French national team) made us dream."

President Macron also encouraged forward Mbapp?, who played a key role in this team. In an interview with France's BFM TV, he described Mbapp? as "a very excellent player" and repeatedly emphasized, "Although we were behind in the first half of the final, what Mbapp? and our team showed afterward was truly amazing."

President Macron Visits Qatar to Watch and Support

During this World Cup, President Macron personally visited the stadiums in Qatar to support the French national team. After the final on the 18th, he was seen hugging and encouraging Mbapp?.

The French team aimed for a second consecutive victory in Qatar following the 2018 Russia World Cup but ultimately lost after a fierce match against Argentina.

Despite the so-called 'defending champion' jinx, which states that the previous World Cup winner performs poorly in the next tournament, France demonstrated outstanding performance throughout this World Cup. They defeated Poland 3-1 in the round of 16, beat another strong contender England 2-1 in the quarterfinals, and dominated Morocco 2-0 in the semifinals.

The match against Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, was tightly contested with a 2-2 draw during regular time and a 3-3 tie after extra time, making it difficult to determine a winner. However, France had to face defeat after losing 4-2 in the penalty shootout.

Meanwhile, Mbapp? emerged as one of the star players of this World Cup. As France's main striker, he scored a total of 8 goals in this tournament, including 3 goals in the final alone. He surpassed Lionel Messi (7 goals), who led the Argentina team, to win the World Cup Golden Boot (top scorer).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.