Kylian Mbappe scored twice for France in their 3-1 win over Senegal on Tuesday and produced an unusual celebration after his first goal. The Real Madrid superstar had a slow start to the game, but France burst into life in the second half and so did he.
Mbappe latched onto a superb Michael Olise pass on 66 minutes, coolly slotting past Edouard Mendy to put his country ahead. After finding the back of the net, the 27-year-old played an imaginary flute to celebrate.
Flute Celebration Explained
If you had seen the American World Cup show After Hours with James Corden, you would have understood it. For others, it came as a surprise. It turns out Mbappe played the flute as a child, encouraged by his parents to embrace a range of skills. Corden, chatting with Mbappe in a car, suggested he should pretend to play the flute if he scored in the opening game, and Mbappe agreed.
Explaining his flute background to Corden, Mbappe said: 'My parents wanted me to do many things and explore many things, to open my mind to do all the things. Because we never know what's going to happen.' Asked if he could have been the greatest flautist, he said: 'I was not. I did it for one year or two, but it was fun to do.'
The Brit said the Frenchman should whip out the flute celebration and quickly won him over. 'First game against Senegal if I score? Yeah I'll do it for you, first game,' said the former PSG hitman.
Mbappe's Season and Mindset
Mbappe faced criticism this season from Real Madrid fans, with the club going without a major trophy as they fell short in La Liga and the Champions League. He scored 42 goals in 44 appearances for the Spanish giants, but that did not stop fans booing him and a petition circulating to demand he is sold.
The forward dismissed the idea that his double on Tuesday was a revenge mission, saying it would be impossible to please everyone. 'There is no revenge,' he said. 'If I started playing for all the people who criticise me and to shut them up, I would have to play until I'm 80. After my brace, I thought about my relatives, my family, my close friends who were here today. Every time I score it's for them.'
Match Summary
Bradley Barcola scored the other French goal at the New Jersey Stadium in a statement win for Didier Deschamps' side against a good Senegal team. It was not a perfect performance; the first half was poor. But as France stepped it up, they looked irresistible with a devastating set of forwards, both in the starting XI and off the bench. Deschamps was able to bring on Barcola and Rayan Cherki, while Mbappe, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele, and Desire Doue started the match. Frightening.
