France's World Cup star Kylian Mbappe said he wants to move on from the painful experiences after the World Cup 2022 final in Qatar, which included taunts from Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Martinez was widely criticised for his over-the-top celebrations. He was instrumental in Argentina's penalty shootout victory over France but later repeatedly derided Mbappe by first calling for a minute's silence for the France and PSG player during his team's dressing-room celebrations at the Lusail Stadium, and then posing with an Mbappe doll during the victory parade.
The 24-year-old returned to action on Wednesday as he won and converted a 96th minute penalty to give PSG a last-gasp 2-1 win against Strasbourg on Ligue 1's resumption following the World Cup break.
When asked about his thoughts on Martinez's celebrations, Mbappe was quoted saying by RMC Sport and BBC that "celebrations are not my problem".
"Don't waste energy on such futile things, the important thing for me is to give the best of myself for my club," he added.
Mbappe, however, said he will never get over the disappointment of losing the World Cup final.
"I think I'm never going to get over it," Mbappe added.
"As I said to my teammates, there is no reason why the club should pay the price for the failure of the national team, they are two very different situations.
"It does me good to come back with a win and to have a link with the club, the supporters and my teammates."
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Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring Paris Saint-Germain's second goal from penalty spot during the Ligue 1 match against Strasbourg at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Wednesday, December 28, 2022. AP -
Kylian Mbappe celebrates with Achraf Hakimi after scoring a penalty for PSG against Strasbourg. AFP -
Kylian Mbappe after scoring his match-winning penalty. AFP -
Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring a penalty against Strasbourg. AFP -
Kylian Mbappe celebrates with Sergio Ramos and Achraf Hakimi. AFP -
Neymar argues with referee Clement Turpin after being shown a red card. AP -
Neymar dives in the penalty area to earn a second yellow card. AFP -
Neymar argues with referee Clement Turpin. AFP -
Marquinhos celebrates after scoring the opening goal for PSG. EPA -
Strasbourg's Adrien Thomasson and teammates celebrate after equalising through an own gal from Marquinhos. Reuters -
Strasbourg players celebrate the own goal scored by Marquinhos. Reuters
