Kylian Mbappe finished on the podium by placing third in the final list of the Ballon d’Or award. However, the French superstar garners attention for interacting with Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez.
A video of players in the top 30 Ballon d’Or list went viral on Instagram. In the video, all the candidates gathered on the stage for a group photograph. Among the players, Emiliano Martinez and Marc-André ter Stegen were standing ahead of Kylian Mbappe with some space in between them.
Martinez looked behind and asked Mbappe to move forward, however, the French forward appeared to move backward away from the limelight. Fans saw this and assumed that Mbappe refused to stand alongside Emiliano Martinez.
Comments like “Bro why did he get scared he legit owned him,” “Mbape is right” “Bro know he ruined his whole career in just 90 min match,” and “So childish” echoed the sentiments of the fans who thought Mbappe was scared of Martinez. However, the reality was polar opposite.
View this post on Instagram
There is a section of fans in the comments who saw the official live stream and caught the joke right away. The video that went viral is reversed. In reality, when Emiliano Martinez asked Kylian Mbappe to move ahead, he indeed moved forward to stand alongside Martinez.
The video was more evidence of how internet trolls bend reality to create a context that generates more clicks and reactions. Mbappe and Martinez have been put up against one other in online debates since the FIFA World Cup final.
The minor altercation at the World Cup final started the feud between the two. The mocking continued when Martinez used a picture of Mbappé in World Cup celebrations in Argentina.
Emiliano Martinez faced “Mbappe” chants at the Ballon d’Or ceremony
The feud was the reason that Martinez faced ‘Mbappe’ chants on the red carpet of the Ballon d’Or ceremony. France Football awards the Ballon d’Or and the ceremony is held in Paris, France. Being the home city of Mbappe, the crowd was in support of their French superstar and was vocal with their support.
Hola, Dibu 😍 Algunos silbidos para el CAMPEÓN del mundo en Francia 😂🇫🇷#BalónDeOro #ballondor pic.twitter.com/r9F5XKoOu8
— TNT Sports Argentina (@TNTSportsAR) October 30, 2023
The support continued when Emiliano Martinez went on stage to collect the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper of the season. The Argentine goalkeeper was booed on stage by a small section of fans in the crowd as he was being awarded for his heroics that stopped France from winning back-to-back World Cups.
Didier Drogba, the host of the ceremony, stepped in and asked the fans to show some decency. Lisandro Martinez, Argentine defender and teammate of Emiliano Martínez, slammed the fans after the ceremony: “Without a doubt, it should have been respected: whoever the player is. The truth is that I loved the attitude of Dibu, always leading by example. It makes me happy because of Dibu’s example more than that of other people.”
Emiliano Martinez was important in Argentina’s World Cup triumph as he kept three clean sheets in seven games. He also made four penalty saves in shootouts against the Netherlands and France. The Aston Villa goalkeeper rose above the hate and kept a cool head throughout the presentation ceremony. The temperament of the keeper was praised by fans and experts.
