«They asked me for money». Why Mbappé didn’t play in his homeland

The match's regular and extra time ended in a draw, 3-3. The Argentinians then won the post-match penalty shootout 4-2. French national team player Kylian Mbappé was recognized as the top scorer of the World Cup. Media outlets sparked discussions on why Mbappé represented the French national team.

Sites quoted remarks made by Mbappé's father back in 2018: 'Initially, I wanted my son to play for Cameroon, but someone from the Cameroonian Football Federation wanted money from us, while the French did not ask for anything, and that's how Mbappé started playing in France. Now you see how badly corruption has affected Africa. Imagine if all the stars were in African countries, if players weren’t asked for money before being chosen to play. I am ashamed of all this.'

'Never blame an African player for playing in a European country. Embolo was asked for a bribe but had no money, so he went to play in Switzerland and then scored against Cameroon, at which point Africans began to insult him for refusing to pay a bribe.'

'I can beat my chest and say that if Ronaldo and Messi were in Nigeria, they would play, as no one would clearly allow them to play for Niger.'

'Because of corruption in Africa, we have lost many famous names. As long as we do not stop corruption in football, Africa will not succeed.'