Kylian Mbappe, the French superstar, debuted a new goal celebration after scoring the opener in France’s 3-1 victory over Senegal, fulfilling a promise made during an interview.
Mbappe put France ahead in the second half and then mimed playing a flute with his hands. This gesture was a callback to a conversation he had with English presenter James Corden on FOX Sports.
Typically, Mbappe celebrates by crossing his arms and tucking his hands under his armpits with a grin. However, he deviated from his usual routine on Tuesday.
Corden had brought up Mbappe’s childhood experience playing the flute. «My parents wanted me to try and do lots of different things,» explained Mbappe, who stated he played the instrument for «a year or two» until he was seven years old.
When Corden presented Mbappe with a flute, the now-Real Madrid star laughed heartily. «That was years ago,» he said, yet he managed to produce a sound from the instrument.
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«This could be a new celebration,» Corden suggested, to which Mbappe responded with a promise: «If I score in the first game against Senegal,» adding, «I’ll do it for you.»
The French star kept his word and performed the flute celebration. He celebrated his second goal of the match, which made it 3-1, with great emotion and without a specific celebratory gesture. This could be attributed to the significance of the goal for the 27-year-old: he surpassed Olivier Giroud to become his country’s all-time leading scorer. He is also just two goals away from matching Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s World Cup record, a feat he could achieve in upcoming matches.