If there was one saving grace of the strange timing the World Cup for the French, then it was that the club season was quickly underway again, providing distraction from their disappointment against Argentina. However for those involved, it remains at the forefront of their minds.
Speaking about the final, one player for whom it will continue to be brought up is Randal Kolo Muani. The Eintracht Frankfurt striker was crucial in the French comeback to make the match 3-3, but had a golden opportunity to win it in the closing moments. Beating the offside trap, Kolo Muani was thwarted by Emiliano Martinez.
“It could have changed my life. I would have preferred to leave it in the background, like everyone else, like all the French, but it happened and these are the whims of life. I keep looking at the play and I see that I have a lot of chances to score, but everything was going too quickly on the field.”
“I think I could have looked for other solutions, chipping it or finding Kylian (Mbappe) because he was at a good angle, but at the moment I didn’t see it, because the ball arrives and I’m focused on the goal, I don’t see Kylian. It’s later, when you see the play, that you realise the other options. But it’s too late, you can’t do anything.”
MD covered his comments, as Kolo Muani recalled the incident. He has been in fine form for Eintracht, scoring 16 goals and providing 14 assists. Yet the World Cup continues to haunt him.
“I want to keep going because it’s part of my job. It’s not that I’m sad, but I’m never going to forget it… We were very close to bringing back the third star. I’m not going to lie, I hate him.”
‘El Dibu’ famously made himself quite unpopular with a number of French fans in the aftermath of the final. He was seen mocking Kylian Mbappe in the celebrations in his home country, while his large and defiant personality is not to everyone’s taste.
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