Mbappe admits he is unhappy with Giroud

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:47 CDT
• 3 min read

Kylian Mbappe has risked furthering his feud with Olivier Giroud after admitting he was unhappy with the striker’s public criticism of him.

Giroud complained about the lack of service from his teammates after Tuesday’s friendly win against Bulgaria, despite scoring twice in the match.

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The French media painted this as an attack on Mbappe, who has often been accused of being selfish on the pitch.

What did Giroud say about Mbappe?

“I was a little quiet because, sometimes, I made runs and the balls didn’t come to me. I am not saying that I always make the best runs, but I am seeking to offer solutions in the box,” Giroud complained to L’Equipe du Soir.

Mbappe was said to be furious with Giroud’s comments and asked coach Didier Deschamps if he could address the media at a press conference on Thursday.

He did eventually hold a presser on Sunday and, although the PSG star noted that he doesn’t want a big deal to be made out of the feud, his words will likely only increase the media frenzy.

What did Mbappe say about Giroud?

"I spoke with Olivier Giroud. Everyone knows what happened,” Mbappe said.

“It is true that I was a little affected by it. But we are not going to make a big deal about it because we are here to represent France, that is the most important thing.

"It is more that he said it publicly than the fact that he said it. I saw him in the dressing room and he didn't say anything to me.

"He expressed a feeling that I have had 365 times during a match."

This is not the ideal preparation for France ahead of their opening Euro 2020 game against Germany on Tuesday.

The other two teams in France’s group are Portugal and Hungary in arguably the toughest pool in the tournament.