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Kylian Mbappe fired France into the quarter-finals with two stunning goals – then set his sights on retaining the World Cup.
Mbappe’s stunning double put him ahead in the race for the Golden Boot with five goals in Qatar – but he said team success is more important to him than personal glory.
“The only objective for me is to win the World Cup,” said Mbappe. “I came here to win the world cup, not the Golden Boot. That’s not why I’m here. I’m here to win with the team. If I win the Golden Boot, then I’d obviously be happy, but the team is the most important thing.
“We’re delighted to reach the quarter-finals. We scored the goals at important moments and we ended up winning, so we’re delighted with that.”
Olivier Giroud became France’s all-time leading scorer, eclipsing Thierry Henry with his 52nd goal a minute before half-time. Mbappe then produced two stunning strikes to put the game beyond Poland whose skipper Robert Lewandowski scored a late consolation penalty.
PSG star Mbappe had refused to undertake post-match media duties earlier in the World Cup, resulting in a FIFA fine for the French Football Federation.
But Mbappe, named man of the match, explained why he had refused to speak earlier in the tournament – and revealed he will pay the FIFA fine himself.
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“People have been asking why I haven’t appeared in front of the media,” said Mbappe. “I just needed to focus on the tournament and on football.
“When I want to concentrate, that is how I do it. I heard the FFF is going to get fined, so I will pay it as I don’t think the FFF should pay on my behalf.
“This is the competition of dreams and I’m delighted to be here and I wanted to be ready. I’ve been preparing all season, physically and mentally, but we are still a long way from the ultimate objective.”
France coach Didier Deschamps said: “Kylian didn’t have his best match tonight, but he can change a match in a moment. He plays with such joy and we all want to share those smiles with him.”
Source:The Mirror