Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says Kylian Mbappé “is not affected” by the Swedish media reports this week that said the France captain was the subject of a rape investigation. Mbappé’s legal team dismissed those reports as false. “I do not pay attention to speculations that come from outside the team. The player is not affected in the least,” Ancelotti said Friday. The reports in Swedish media came out after the striker visited Stockholm during the international break when he was not called up by France due to a minor injury. Pogba ready to give up money for Juventus again Without citing sources, Swedish media reported Mbappé was the subject of an investigation of an alleged rape at a hotel in Stockholm. Mbappé’s representatives have called the reports “false and irresponsible.” Swedish prosecutors issued a brief statement on Tuesday saying a rape had been reported to police, but didn’t name any suspect. Ancelotti defended his player’s right to travel on his time off. “The rest days are programmed for him and he can choose what he wants to do,” the Italian manager said. “I went to London for two days and didn’t ask anyone for permission.” Mbappé injured his left thigh in late September. But he missed only one game for Madrid, returning as a substitute in a shock 1-0 loss to Lille in the Champions League before starting in a 2-0 victory over Villarreal in the Spanish league. He then sat out the international window. Messi's Argentina held 1-1 by Venezuela in South American World Cup qualifying Mbappé trained for Madrid this week before the Spanish league resumes. Madrid plays at Celta Vigo on Saturday. “(Mbappé) took advantage of the break to improve his fitness and get well after the injury,” Ancelotti said. “He is happy and ready to play and be important for the team. These 15 days have helped because he is now a different player than before the break.”

Not even Kylian Mbappé's substitute appearance could end Paris Saint-Germain's slump, as it lost 1-0 at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the first leg of their round-of-16 Champions League clash. A third straight loss made it five defeats in 11 games this year for PSG coach Christophe Galtier's team. Bayern winger Kingsley Coman volleyed home inside the penalty area from Alphonso Davies’ left-wing cross in the 53rd minute. The Paris-raised Coman, who PSG sold to Juventus when he was 18, held his hands up to show he wasn't celebrating scoring against his former club — again. “It’s the city where I was born and raised so it was difficult to celebrate here,” Coman said. “Given our performance we could have done more, but at the end it was a bit difficult so we’re satisfied with the win.” When Bayern won the last of its six Champions League titles in 2020, it beat PSG 1-0 with Coman heading home the winner. The World Cup superstar Mbappé made an unexpectedly quick recovery from injury and had two would-be goals disallowed for offside after coming on in the second half. “It was difficult, unpredictable. I wasn’t supposed to play but I wanted to play and help my mates. We did everything, we worked night and day to get me some game time,” Mbappé said. “I wanted to (start the game). But sometimes you have to be satisfied with what you can do, and that’s all I could do." The return leg is on March 8. PSG was eliminated by Real Madrid in the last 16 last season and may need Mbappé at this best to avoid another early exit. “When we have our players ready and we can play our attacking game, they (Bayern) are not comfortable,” Mbappé said. “We have to retain how we finished the game. We saw that we can cause them problems.” Mbappé showed no ill effects of the thigh tear he sustained two weeks ago. He had a shot saved by Yann Sommer in the 73rd after racing through down the left. Sommer saved Neymar’s follow-up and the ball fell to Mbappé near the line, but he was well offside. Mbappé peeled away in delight after volleying Nuno Mendes’ cross from close range with 10 minutes left, but it was chalked off following a quick video review. “That’s the new soccer, there’s VAR. If it’s offside, it’s offside, you just have to switch quickly,” Mbappé said. “The important thing is to go over there and qualify, and from what I saw that's possible.” Bayern’s defense held firm under some late pressure, although defender Benjamin Pavard received a second yellow card was sent off for a late tackle on Lionel Messi in stoppage time. Bayern immediately generated pressure from the start against a nervous-looking PSG by closing down high up the field. PSG hadn’t lost three straight games since late 2011, which was only months into the new reign of Qatari owners QSI. “Bayern really got on top of us and we struggled to hold the ball high up the pitch. The first half was very difficult for us,” Galtier said. “I knew we could use Kylian in the second half, but unfortunately we conceded this goal just before I was going to bring him on.” The dominance of Julian Nagelsmann’s team in midfield was so complete that it forced Messi to drop deep to get the ball, and Neymar was anonymous for most of the match. “We were a bit surprised by how much of the ball we had. We didn’t expect Paris to be so passive; it was a good first half,” Nagelsmann said. "The two times they really threatened it was offside.” Midway through the first half, Neymar lay face-first on the field after a shoulder barge from a defender. English referee Michael Oliver waved play on and Sommer — although nearby — didn’t check on Neymar, who at the 2018 World Cup in Russia earned an unwelcome reputation for diving and play-acting. Bayern’s possession didn’t lead to clear chances, however, and midfielder Joshua Kimmich’s 20-meter drive was easily captured by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 43rd. Nagelsmann showed shrewd tactical sense by bringing on Davies and switching Coman from the left to the right flank with seamless efficiency. Bayern came close to 2-0 when former PSG striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had a shot tipped onto the post by Donnarumma. PSG midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery became the youngest player to start a Champions League knockout match at the age of 16 years, 343 days.

France played its part in one of the most memorable finishes in World Cup history, even though the defending champions failed to retain the title. Kylian Mbappé’s hat trick of goals all came late — first in regulation, then in extra time — and helped give France a 3-3 draw with Argentina in the final. In the penalty shootout, it seemed destined for Lionel Messi to win his first World Cup at the age of 35, not Mbappé to win his second at 23. Still, the foundations of France's national soccer team are solid with just under four years to go until the next World Cup in 2026. EXPECTATION VS. PERFORMANCE France outperformed expectations even as the defending champion and the world’s fourth-ranked team. A run of poor results in the UEFA Nations League, including a home loss in June to Denmark, plus a litany of injuries before and after the squad for Qatar was selected kept high hopes in check.Then, in the last training session before the flight to Doha, forward Christopher Nkunku was injured by a teammate. It got worse in Qatar. Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema was forced out of the squad because of an injury and then Lucas Hernández, the left back in the 2018 team, picked up a season-ending knee injury nine minutes into France’s first game against Australia. France persevered and got better as the team passed through the knockout rounds — against Poland, England and Morocco. The record now under France coach Didier Deschamps of two World Cup finals and a quarterfinal, plus a European Championship final and a UEFA Nations League title is truly impressive. “I’m optimistic about the future,” said Deschamps, who has expertly mixed youth and experience in his teams. “A lot of players have played in many of those tournaments and have got experience.” WHO’S OUT Only four of the 26 players in the squad has turned 30 and Deschamps has made clear he wants to sign the contract extension the French soccer federation says it wants to offer. This year's World Cup could be the last for Olivier Giroud, who at 36 took the central striker role left by Benzema and broke Thierry Henry’s all-time France scoring record.   Giroud ended the tournament with four goals and now has 53, two ahead of Henry. Mbappé has 36 and could take the record before the 2026 World Cup. Benzema turns 35 on Monday, and captain Hugo Lloris has his 36th birthday one week later. At 31, and after a standout World Cup, Antoine Griezmann can look toward another World Cup. Deschamps is still only 54 and looks far from fatigued in his 11th year on the job. WHO’S NEXT The next generation of players to revitalize Les Bleus is already at the World Cup. Several made debuts this year and their progress in Qatar was accelerated by all the injuries and illness to long-established players. Aurélien Tchouaméni was joined by former Monaco teammate Youssouf Fofana in an emergency midfield pairing, and 21-year Arsenal defender William Saliba also got playing time. Also read: 2026 World Cup hosts take diplomatic handover from Qatar If Lloris does step down, 27-year-old Mike Maignan is primed to add to his handful of international games. A domestic league winner at both Lille and AC Milan, Maignan also was injured and missed the World Cup. Nkunku, now 25, will move to Chelsea next season after four years at Leipzig and impressing in the Champions League. WHAT’S NEXT On March 24, France will host the Netherlands at Stade de France to start one of the toughest European Championship qualifying groups. A clash between the World Cup finalists and quarterfinalists is the most anticipated game on the schedule when national teams return to action in three months. Greece, Ireland and Gibraltar are also in the group, which plays through November and will send two teams directly to Euro 2024 in Germany. France also has available dates in September and October for friendly games against teams from outside Europe.

Kylian Mbappé made it 2-2 for France in the 81st minute on a volley just one minute after scoring on the penalty against Argentina in the World Cup final. Argentina had a 2-0 lead at half-time after goals by Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria. Messi scored on a 23rd-minute penalty kick after a foul on Di Maria. Thirteen minutes later Di Maria finished off a flowing team move involving a deft flick from Messi. Messi now has 12 World Cup goals — the same as Brazil great Pelé — and is the first player to score in the group stage and every round of the knockout stage in a single edition of the tournament. Like France, Argentina are seeking a third World Cup title — after 1978 and 1986 — to move into outright fourth place in the all-time list. It would end a 36-year wait for football's biggest prize, since Maradona's string of virtuoso performances in Mexico in 1986. That made Maradona forever a hero in Argentina and an icon around the football world. Messi now appears to be at that level. Messi has evoked comparisons with Maradona in the way he has pushed Argentina to the final, scoring six goals, thrilling his team's legion of fans, who have poured into Qatar throughout the World Cup in numbers only really matched by those from Morocco. Read more: Messi fulfils his destiny, Argentina win third World Cup  

As fans are excited about who will win the FIFA World Cup 2022, there is just as much excitement over who is going to bag the golden boot award. The Golden Boot is awarded to the top goal scorer of the tournament. The award was first presented in 1982 and has been awarded at every World Cup since then. This year the excitement of the golden boot will remain until the last day of the World Cup as four players, Messi (5 goals), Mbappe (5 goals), Alvarez (4 goals) and Giroud (4 goals), are running in this race. It is not possible to say who will win the award as they all have equal opportunities in the final. However, Messi and Mbappe have more chances to win the golden boot. Let’s see what the possibilities are for them. Performance of Messi in The FIFA World Cup 2022 So Far After 2014, Messi is once again a big contender for the golden boot. Lionel Messi played a leading role in reaching his team to the final by scoring 5 goals and three assists. Lionel Messi is in great form in this World Cup, and he has one final game. So, Messi has a great chance to win if he can score more goals in the next match. However, in this World Cup, Messi has seen his highest goal in one tournament and also became the highest goal scorer in Argentina’s World Cup history. Messi scored against Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Australia, Netherlands, and Croatia. Read More: Argentina vs France Final Match Preview: FIFA World Cup 2022 Other records Messi has so far in this World Cup are 27 shots, 1.75 expected goals, 14 shots on target, created 18 chances, 20 fouls drawn, 14 open play chances created, and 36 take on. Messi is the leading man of the match winner among footballers. This great footballer has won the 'man of the match' title four times so far in the Qatar World Cup.  Performance of Mbappe in The Football World Cup 2022 So Far Last time in the 2018 World Cup, Kylian Mbappé Lottin got 4 goals, this time, he scored 5 goals in just three matches. However, he could not score in three matches. So, Messi has overtaken him in the race for the golden boot. But what Mbappe did in the final game of the last World Cup is not easy to forget. If he gets a goal in the final this time, maybe the golden boot will go to his feet. In other records, Mbappe has 24 shots, 10 shots on target, and suffered 7 fouls. Mbappes’ fight in the final will be a fight to win the title as well as snatch the Golden Boot from Messi. Read More: Will Messi's last performance in World Cup help Argentina win the trophy in Qatar? Who will Win the Gold Boot Award in FIFA World Cup 2022: Messi or Mbappe? Since both have scored 5 goals, and if they don’t score any goals in the final, other golden boot rules will be applied. That said, if the number of goals scored by more footballers is equal, then it is seen who has more assists. That is, who assisted in how many goals? If it is equal, it is seen who was on the field for less time. So, if both Messi and Mbappes’ scores remain the same, FIFA will look at the assist number. In that case, Messi will win the golden boot as he has three assists. On the other hand, Mbappe has 2 assists. However, if Mbappe assists one goal in the next match and Messi’s assist remains the same, Mbappe will win the golden boot as he has played less time than Messi. Mbappe played 477 minutes on the field, while Messi played 570 minutes. Read More: FIFA World Cup Final 2022 Argentina vs France LIVE Streaming: Where and How to watch online and TV Channel, Predicted XI Final Words Both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé Lottin have enthralled sports enthusiasts with their magical performances in this year's Football world cup. Not to mention, both players are deserving candidates for the Gold Boot award. However, we have to wait one more day to know who wins the FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 Golden Boot. Apparently, both Messi and Mbappe will give their best for sure to win the game as well as enrich their personal record.

With defending champion France missing so many big names through injury at the World Cup, there is even more of an onus on Kylian Mbappé to become the team’s leader in Qatar. He was 19 years old when he took the last World Cup by storm, scoring in the final and becoming a superstar every team in the world would love to have. Who could turn down 14-time Champions League winner Real Madrid? Well, Mbappé did, twice. The 23-year-old Mbappé already has a hefty total of 28 international goals and could add to that number against Australia on Tuesday in their Group D opener. “Kylian’s still young, but he’s already done some great things. The four years since (the World Cup) have helped him gain in maturity and to gain even more recognition worldwide,” France coach Didier Deschamps said Monday. “He’s always had the ability to make a difference and we’ll need it here. He’s one of the few players who has that.” Since joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 in a deal worth 180 million euros ($184.5 million), Mbappé has scored 190 goals, including 100 in his past 113 games for the French champion. But goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who is playing in his fourth World Cup and stands to win his 148th cap, thinks Mbappé has yet to reach his peak. “He confirmed all the expectations people had in him over the years. It’s difficult to define the limits of a player like Kylian, because his potential is unbelievable,” Lloris said. “He’s committed, focused and relaxed and I think he can help us reach our objectives here.” But to successfully defend its title, France must do so without leaders like Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema. Pogba and Kante won the 2018 World Cup, while Benzema is arguably the world’s most complete forward and had developed a great understanding up front with Mbappé. Read more: France's Benzema ruled out of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Deschamps acknowledges they’re difficult players to replace. On the field, but also off it, because such leadership isn’t something that comes easily. “You think it’s a case of clicking your fingers? That a player thinks ‘I’m going to wake up and everyone’s going to listen to me?’” Deschamps said Monday. “Leadership isn’t a case of just talking and talking, especially if you can’t find the right words.” While Deschamps has lost several big players, there is one piece of good news. He sounded optimistic that key defender Raphael Varane has fully recovered from a hamstring injury he sustained playing for Manchester United on Oct. 11. “He’s doing well and he’s ready and available for tomorrow,” said Deschamps, who also explained why he chose not to replace Benzema in the squad with another player. Teams are allowed 26 players in the squad. “If I chose to keep 25 it’s that I consider our squad is strong enough to continue like this,” Deschamps said. “We still have a lot of options.” Read more: World Cup 2022: France faces midfield battle against Australia    

Kylian Mbappé, one of soccer's most-coveted players, is set to stay at Paris Saint-Germain after again turning down the chance to join Real Madrid. France's World Cup-winning forward has agreed to a three-year contract extension that is close to being signed, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the contract talks publicly. The 23-year-old Mbappé’s contract is expiring in June and he would have been available on a free transfer. Instead of joining 13-time European champion Madrid, which has chased him for so long, Mbappé is staying to try to deliver PSG its first Champions League title. Madrid managed to beat PSG in the Champions League this season but not in the transfer market once again. The Spanish giant’s failure to sign Mbappé is a significant blow for its president, Florentino Pérez, who has been trying to get the transfer over the line for a year. Also read: PSG star Mbappe wins league's best player award for 3rd time PSG turned down Madrid's official bid of 180 million euros ($190 million) — the same amount it signed Mbappé for from Monaco in 2017 — and even another reported amount of 200 million euros ($211 million) was not enough to sell its star despite him having only a year remaining on his contract. Mbappé said he wanted to leave at the end of last season but only on the right terms for PSG. The wealth of the club’s Qatar sovereign wealth fund ownership linked to the emir allows PSG to resist bids that could prove irresistible to other clubs without state funding. The non-transfer reflects the shifting power dynamics in European football. Pérez was one of the architects of the European Super League breakaway from the UEFA Champions League that imploded within 48 hours in April 2021. PSG opted out of joining the 12 Super League founders, allowing its president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, to gain one of the most powerful roles in the game as head of the European Club Association. Pérez is still pursuing his Super League dream in conflict with UEFA. Mbappé, who starred for France at the 2018 World Cup, would have been a statement signing for Pérez — especially if he had lured Mbappé away from a team that only emerged as a rival in the last decade through its Qatari funding. But the energy expended in pursuing the transfer, and optimism from Madrid, which is chasing its record-extending 14th European Cup win when it meets Liverpool in next Saturday’s Champions League final in Paris, has come to nothing. When Mbappé won the league’s best player award for the third time last Sunday, he said his mind was basically made up but didn’t say which way. The tension between the clubs was evident when PSG was knocked out of the Champions League in the Round of 16 by Madrid in March — despite leading 2-0 overall with two Mbappé goals — and Al-Khelaifi remains under UEFA investigation for allegedly confronting match officials after the loss. Madrid is being thwarted yet again, having tried to sign Mbappé after he left Monaco in 2017 — and even before that. Also read: Lionel Messi: The Argentine sensation considers joining Inter Miami in 2023 He visited Madrid’s facilities aged 14, and was greeted by France great Zinedine Zidane, but he instead chose to launch his stellar career at Monaco. Mbappé’s first professional goal came at the age of 17 years, 62 days, which beat the Monaco club record held by Thierry Henry. Henry is France’s record scorer with 51 goals. Mbappé is already on 26 and may well overtake him as a PSG player. He is PSG’s second-highest scorer with 168 goals and could surpass Edinson Cavani’s record of 200 next season. He was looking to add to his league-leading tally of 25 later Saturday in the season-ending home game against struggling Metz at Parc des Princes, alongside teammates Lionel Messi — the record seven-time Ballon d’Or winner — and Neymar. The glittering attacking trio, which hasn't clicked as expected this season, will play together again next season. However, Mbappé misses out on the chance to play alongside France teammate Karim Benzema for Madrid in what would have been a devastating partnership and the envy of Europe. Over the past year they have been prolific together for Les Bleus and both netted when France won the Nations League final. Another one of the world’s coveted young forwards is Erling Haaland, who is leaving Borussia Dortmund for English powerhouse Manchester City.

Kylian Mbappe notched two goals and three assists as Paris Saint-Germain beat Lorient 5-1 and maintained its 12-point lead over Marseille to move ever closer to a record 10th French league title on Sunday. There are eight rounds left. Mbappe provided the spark in the final third from the fourth minute with a dribbling run and low shot that goalkeeper Matthieu Dreyer palmed away. Soon after, the France striker fed Neymar, who opened the scoring. Read:Barcelona edges Sevilla to move into 2nd in Spanish league The lead doubled in the 28th when Mbappe scored with his signature move, faking a curler into the far corner before drilling into the near corner. When Lorient forward Terem Moffi cut the lead in the 56th by pouncing on a sloppy back pass from Achraf Hakimi to knock the ball past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, PSG supporters loudly booed their team's lapse in concentration. Mbappe dashed Lorient’s hopes of a comeback by raising his league tally to 17 goals, dribbling past Julien Laporte to bury the ball into the bottom corner in the 67th. Six minutes later, Mbappe squared the ball back for Lionel Messi, who shot under the crossbar for 4-1. Mbappe made his league-leading 13th assist by playing Neymar in for the final goal in the 90th. “We must bring back that 10th league title for the supporters, for the club. It’s important,” Mbappe said. “We have an opportunity to make history.” PSG has relied heavily on Mbappe’s brilliance this season. However, his contract runs out this summer and Mbappe hasn’t committed to any club yet. “I haven’t made any decision yet,” Mbappe said. “I’m still thinking because there are new factors (...) I don’t want to get it wrong. I want to make the right choice.” Marseille consolidated second place by rallying past relegation-threatened Saint-Etienne 4-2 in a game full of blunders. Gabon striker Denis Bouanga gave Saint-Etienne the lead in the ninth minute by shooting past goalkeeper Pau Lopez, who made an embarrassing handling mistake. But Saint-Etienne self-destructed by conceding two penalties and scoring an own goal. Marseille's third straight league win opened a three-point gap on third-placed Rennes, while Saint-Etienne remained in the relegation zone, one point from safety. The top two clubs qualify for the Champions League while the third-placed club goes to qualifying. Strasbourg emerged as a surprise contender in the race for European spots after edging Lens 1-0 to climb up to fourth place. Read:FIFA World Cup 2022: GroupWise Favourites to Advance to Round of 16 Strasbourg stretched its unbeaten run to eight games to go level on points with Nice and just two points behind Rennes. The team’s best finish in the past 20 seasons was 10th in 2020. “The ambition is to do as best as we can until the end of the season,” Strasbourg coach Julien Stephan said. “We’ve never put pressure on ourselves. I don’t see why we should put more pressure on ourselves today. We just want to have fun.” Monaco edged lowly Metz 2-1 and France international Wissam Ben Yedder extended his league-leading goal tally to 18. In his French league debut, Brazilian winger Tete kept Lyon’s slim European hopes alive in a 3-2 victory over Angers. Lyon blew the lead twice despite two goals from striker Moussa Dembele. Nantes handed Clermont a fourth straight loss, 3-2, Brest won at mid-table Montpellier 2-1, and Troyes beat Reims 1-0 in injury time to move away from the relegation zone.

The Lionel Messi era has begun at Paris Saint-Germain, without a goal for the Argentine superstar but plenty of adulation and fanfare. Messi made his debut for PSG on Sunday after coming off the bench midway through the second half in a 2-0 win at Reims in the French league. Messi replaced his friend and former Barcelona teammate Neymar in the 66th minute and they shared a hug. Read: Lionel Messi signs 2-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain After years of glory for Messi at the 99,000-capacity Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, the record six-time Ballon d''Or winner and four-time Champions League victor made his first PSG appearance at the modest 20,000-seater Stade Auguste Delaune. Such is Messi''s star factor that the home fans chanted “Messi, Messi” while a smiling Reims goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic took a photo of Messi holding a child after the game. PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino was touched by the reception for Messi, pointing out that supporters of both teams were delighted to see him play. “The welcome he got was something beautiful to see and hear, on the part of our fans but also the Reims fans,” Pochettino said. “Messi was very happy about it. His presence generates more enthusiasm, everyone can feel it and it has an effect on the other players." Read: PSG explores Messi signing; Pochettino in contact Before the match, hundreds of fans gathered for a glimpse of Messi as he descended the team bus and he waved back at them. They wanted to see one of the all-time greats, along with Pele and the late Diego Maradona, who Messi adored. Messi''s incredible skill, close control, grace, vision, dancing feet, astute passing, speed of thought and execution have thrilled fans for years. He netted 672 goals for Barca and won 35 trophies for the Spanish giant, including the 2015 Champions League alongside Neymar. That was the last time Messi won Europe''s elite trophy and, somewhat ironically, his last goal for Barca in the Champions League was a brilliant strike away to PSG last season in the round of 16. The 34-year-old Messi, who led his nation to the Copa America title last month, joined PSG three weeks ago after his new contract with Barcelona fell through. Striker Kylian Mbappe was named in the starting lineup as Real Madrid tries to sign him before the end of the summer transfer window. Mbappe had already scored both goals before Messi came on. He headed in Angel Di Maria''s cross in the 15th minute and then turned in Achraf Hakimi''s cross in the 63rd for his 135th goal since joining PSG in 2017. “No, I wasn''t surprised by his enthusiasm,” said Pochettino, who did not comment on Mbappe''s immediate future. For it remains to be seen whether it''s his last for PSG, which has started the season with four straight wins and has 12 points.

Problems often seem to occur before important games for Paris Saint-Germain.