Thousands of French soccer fans have apologized to Kylian Mbappe amid his stunning run of form during this year’s World Cup.
Mbappe, who won the tournament in 2018 before scoring a hat-trick in the 2022 final that France lost to Argentina on penalties, has been one of the standout stars once again.
The Real Madrid forward has already scored six goals and is just one behind Lionel Messi’s all-time record of 19.
While undoubtedly a hugely talented player, Mbappe has often attracted criticism over the course of his career for a supposed lack of defensive work rate.
Those who did doubt him, however, are starting to backtrack on their comments.
Fans apologize to Mbappe
A petition created to say sorry to the striker for doubting him has reached over 16,000 signatures.
It is titled ‘Pardon Kylian’ and the text reads: “France has behaved badly. We doubted, we criticized, we were ungrateful. It’s time to make amends.”
The 27-year-old also became France’s all-time top scorer, replacing Olivier Giroud when they beat Senegal in the group stage.
Mbappe is a divisive figure at times, with many Madrid fans critical of his performances last season despite scoring 42 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions in what was a difficult year for the Spanish giants.
What cannot be doubted, however, is his ability to turn it on for the World Cup. Few players in the history of the competition have achieved quite as much in the game’s most iconic tournament.
Mbappe presumably has at least two World Cups left in him, too. Having already won the competition, the forward and his teammates are favorites to do so again this summer.
There’s a very real chance that Mbappe could end his career having won multiple World Cups, something very few players in the history of the sport have ever done.
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