Frenchman Kylian Mbappe and Moroccan Achraf Hakimi were spotted enjoying their extended break after the World Cup, in New York, USA. PSG boss Christophe Galtier reportedly granted leave to Mbappe and Hakimi after PSG’s 3-1 defeat to Lens. The duo enjoyed their break from soccer in New York. First, they attended an NBA game between Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs. Then, they got clicked with Kevin Durant.
SÓ CRAQUE! 🔥 Mbappé, Hakimi e Durant em uma mesma foto? Gastou todo 3G!
Crédito: NBA pic.twitter.com/YSkbIbJk9Q
— TNT Sports BR (@TNTSportsBR) January 3, 2023
The crowd at the NBA game recognized the PSG players and welcomed them with a huge round of applause. After the game, Mbappe and Hakimi decided to visit Times Square in New York. The soccer stars disguised themselves while appearing in public. Their disguises, it seems, were yielding results as nobody had a clue as to who the two men were.
In the pictures shared by photographer Elder Ordonez, the PSG stars can be seen applauding a street performance on the streets of New York. It was only later, that Americans responded to their unknown guests on social media.
Americans respond as Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi roam in disguise at Times Square
The vast majority of Americans made a shocking revelation. It seems that most people were not even aware of who the soccer stars were, in the first place. Take a look at these hilarious reactions from American users on social media.
“They could have been walking around without clothes and we still wouldn’t have noticed,” wrote one user. “American here, I’ll let y’all in on a little secret. A vast majority of us don’t care about ‘football’,” said another.
“You mean Mbappe was undercover. I doubt very many people know who Hakimi is,” said one fan, who acknowledged the 24-year-old Frenchman, but made it amply clear that Achraf Hakimi was not a household name just yet. Another user commented, “You told us their names but I still don’t know who they are.”
Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi were walking around New York in disguise and NOBODY had a clue 😷🤣 pic.twitter.com/atBN6Jrcej
— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) January 5, 2023
Most of the users who claim to be unaware of their identities must not be soccer fans, to begin with. Because America’s love for soccer cannot be understated. The USA just loves to host soccer stars. From David Beckham to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, soccer stars have become household names in the United States. The number of soccer lovers in the States does seem to be on the up as is demonstrated by recent trends.
The 10th highest soccer attendance ever was set on US soil in 2014. A game between Manchester United and Real Madrid in 2014 saw a record 109,318 fans in attendance. The game was played in Michigan Stadium. With the USA a part of the roster set to host the 2026 World Cup, soccer will grow among Americans, and so will soccer stars’ popularity.
Discussion about this post