"There is nothing more difficult than a World Cup" - Emi Martinez appears to respond to Kylian Mbappe's recent comments about Euros
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has seemingly responded to France striker Kylian Mbappe calling the Euros a tougher competition to win than the FIFA World Cup. France lost to Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.
Ahead of France's campaign at the 2024 European Championships, Mbappe said about the Euros being tougher to win because of the familiarity of the opposition, unlike at the World Cup:
"For me, the EUROs is more complicated than the World Cup. Even though there is much more pressure at the World Cup. But here all the teams know each other, we play against each other all the time. Tactically it’s very similar football."
That seemingly didn't go down well with Martinez, who simply remarked (as per journalist Gaston Edul, as translated from Spanish):
“There is nothing more difficult than a World Cup.”
France - regarded as one of the pre-tournament favourites - are clubbed in Group D with Poland, Netherlands and Austria. Mbappe and Co. open their campaign against Austria in Dusseldorf on June 17.
Meanwhile, Argentina open their Copa America title defence against Canada on June 20 in Atlanta. Martinez and Co. are looking to win their third straight major tournament after winning the Copa America 2021 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
How did Argentina's Emiliano Martinez fare against Kylian Mbappe's France in their last meeting?
Kylian Mbappe's France and Emiliano Martinez's Argentina produced a final for the ages in the 2022 FIFA World Cup title match. La Albiceleste eventually won on penalties after a pulsating 120 minutes.
Mbappe clearly bested Martinez, scoring all three of France's goals - twice in regulation time - and once in extra time. The Frenchman also scored past Martinez in the ensuing shootout.
However, Martinez had the last laugh, denying a near certain winner from Randal Kolo Muani in the dying seconds of the game before denying Kinglsey Coman in the shootout, while Aurelien Tchouameni shot wide.
The win thwarted France's bid to emulate Brazil (1962) to win successive World Cups as the Albiceleste reigned supreme in the competition since their last triumph in 1986.