In an article published this Friday, "L'Équipe" reveals that Kylian Mbappé used his status as captain to dissuade the FFF from organizing a rematch of the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina.

The 2022 World Cup final, lost to Argentina (3-3, 2-4 on penalties), remains a painful memory for the French national football team and its supporters. The drama of this episode gave rise to a new rivalry between the two nations, as evidenced by the whistles received by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, one of the protagonists of the final, each time he appeared in France with his club Aston Villa (in Lille on April 18, 2024, in Paris on April 9, 2025).

This rivalry has remained so strong that it has given the French Football Federation ideas. As revealed by L'Équipe this Friday, the FFF has studied the possibility of organizing a rematch between Les Bleus and La Albiceleste in March 2024 in a country outside Europe, which would involve a long plane ride.

A possibility that was opposed by the captain of the French national team, Kylian Mbappé. "He questioned the president of the FFF (Philippe Diallo) several times, on the team's program, on the matches, he is a modern-day captain, who has a certain level of stature," maintains those close to the selection.

The French striker had warned his management of the risks of such a long journey (around ten hours by plane from Paris) at this time of year. And he was listened to, a sign that he has become a persuasive interlocutor with the FFF.

Source: L'Équipe