“I was doing this s**t in 2006” – Peter Crouch hilariously accuses Mbappe of imitating him at 2022 FIFA World Cup final
Former England forward Peter Crouch has sarcastically accused Kylian Mbappe of copying his scissor kick after he scored France's second goal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina.
Les Bleus were down and out of the final, with La Albiceleste comfortably leading 2-0 with approximately 10 minutes left on the clock. Things changed when France were awarded a penalty, which Mbappe dispatched without a problem in the 80th minute.
A minute later, he scored one of the best goals to grace the FIFA World Cup. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker hit a brave first-time volley following a lofted Marcus Thuram pass to score the equalizer.
Given the situation, most forwards would have perhaps taken a touch and gone for a safer finish but Mbappe went the other way round.
He connected with the volley sweetly and hit it hard enough to find its way into the net despite being met by Emiliano Martinez's strong left hand. Following the audacious finish, Crouch shared a photo of himself attempting a similar-looking shot 16 years ago.
The picture dates back to June 15, 2006, when Crouch started up front for England in a 2006 FIFA World Cup group-stage game against Trinidad & Tobago. The shot was skewed horribly wide, but Crouch still felt the resemblance was uncanny.
He tweeted:
"Incredible from Mbappe but I was doing this s**t in 2006"
Crouch and his then-Liverpool teammate, Steven Gerrard, scored in the game, which the Three Lions won 2-0. Unfortunately, for France, they did not manage to win their game against Argentina.
Mbappe scored a hat-trick as the game finished 3-3 in regulation 90 minutes plus extra time. He scored his penalty kick, but Martinez's heroics ensured a 4-2 penalty shootout win for the South American nation.
Kylian Mbappe sends defiant message after France's 2022 FIFA World Cup defeat
The PSG centre-forward went up on stage twice during the presentation ceremony - first to collect the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot and then for his runners-up medal.
The former AS Monaco forward has scored 12 goals in 14 FIFA World Cup matches so far in his career. He has already won the trophy once, doing so four years ago in Russia.
He is still hungry for more. Mbappe tweeted after the FIFA World Cup final defeat and wrote:
"We will return Nous reviendrons. [France flag]🙏🏽"
Given that he remains fit and Les Bleus qualify, the French striker will look to add to his goals tally at the FIFA World Cup in North America in 2026.