Argentina hero Emiliano Martinez reveals what he said to France superstar Kylian Mbappe after World Cup final sh*thousery
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- Martinez emerged as the hero in shootout
- Used distraction tactics, mocked Mbappe afterwards
- Claims to have consoled the forward
WHAT HAPPENED? The Aston Villa shot-stopper stood tall between the sticks during the penalty shootout in the World Cup final, saving Kingsley Coman's effort and contributing to Aurelien Tchouameni's miss with his distraction tactics as Argentina triumphed.
Martinez fuelled a one-sided feud with Mbappe in the aftermath, having held a 'minute's silence' for the Paris Saint-Germain superstar in the dressing room, before being spotted holding a Mbappe doll next to Lionel Messi on the team's open-top bus parade in Buenos Aires, which forced the French FA to lodge an official complaint.
However, in a recent interview with TyC Sports he claimed that he consoled the French international immediately after the final whistle while he was sitting disappointed on the pitch.
WHAT THEY SAID: “I told him to get up and to look forward. He shouldn't be on the floor, but proud of the game he had played, which is the truth. He scored four goals on me. The one who should be on the floor is me," Martinez said.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Martinez was also full of praise for Argentina teammate Angel Di Maria and even claimed that he would rate him among the top three players in Albiceleste history. "I will always be grateful to him. He is mentally an animal, he is prepared to play in the finals, he played in big teams all his career, he is professionally armed and has a great family from behind and they have helped him a lot to face that final. If you rush me a little bit, I'll put Di María in the top three in the history of the national team," he added.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
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WHAT NEXT FOR MARTINEZ & MBAPPE? The World Cup golden glove winner will be in action against Crystal Palace on Saturday in the Premier League, whereas Mbappe will hope to be on target against Nantes in Ligue 1 on the same day.