Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are among the leading candidates for The Best FIFA Men's Player award after unsurprisingly being named on the 14-strong list of nominees on Thursday.

FIFA's awards ceremony will take place on February 27 and recognise the sport's high achievers from 2022 across several categories, with The Best FIFA Men's Player prize being the headline attraction.

Messi, who won the 2019 award and came a close second to Robert Lewandowski for 2021, will be the firm favourite after inspiring Argentina to World Cup success.

It was the Albiceleste's first such title since 1986, and Messi played a crucial role in the triumph as Argentina beat France on penalties after a 3-3 draw last month.

Messi scored five goals and set up another three to win himself the Golden Ball, and he nearly took home the Golden Boot as well.

Of course, his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe won the latter prize thanks to his hat-trick against Argentina in the dramatic final, and he will likely be Messi's closest rival.

Had it not been a World Cup year, Manchester City's Erling Haaland might have fancied his chances of staking a claim after a sensational start to life in the Premier League.

Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema is among the nominees and may be expecting a top-three finish after carrying Real Madrid to another Champions League crown, though his lack of World Cup involvement could prove detrimental.

Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is in the running for The Best FIFA Men's Coach gong, though Argentina's Lionel Scaloni will likely be the favourite of the five-man shortlist.

Argentina are also represented in The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper category by Emiliano Martinez among the five nominees.

For the women's prizes, Euro 2022 champions England have several nominations.

Beth Mead, Keira Walsh and Leah Williamson are all up for the players' award; Sarina Wiegman will be the favourite for the coaches' accolade; and Mary Earps is in contention to be named The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper.

The voting process will involve international captains and coaches, journalists, and fans selecting their winners in the various categories.

Voting closes on February 3 and FIFA will announce three finalists from each section thereafter.

NOMINATIONS

The Best FIFA Men's Player
Julian Alvarez (Argentina/River Plate/Manchester City)
Jude Bellingham (England/Borussia Dortmund) 
Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid) 
Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City)
Erling Haaland (Norway/ Borussia Dortmund/Manchester City)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain) 
Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich/Barcelona)
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool/Bayern Munich)
Kylian Mbappe (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain)
Luka Modric (Croatia/Real Madrid)
Neymar (Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool) 
Vinicius Junior (Brazil/Real Madrid)

The Best FIFA Men's Coach
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Real Madrid)
Didier Deschamps (France/French National Team)
Pep Guardiola (Spain/Manchester City) 
Walid Regragui (Morocco/Wydad AC/Moroccan National Team)
Lionel Scaloni (Argentina/Argentinian National Team) 

The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper
Alisson Becker (Brazil/Liverpool) 
Yassine Bounou (Morocco/Sevilla)
Thibaut Courtois (Belgium/Real Madrid)
Ederson (Brazil/Manchester City)
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina/Aston Villa) 

The Best FIFA Women's Player: 
Aitana Bonmatí (Spain/Barcelona)
Debinha (Brazil/North Carolina Courage)
Jessie Fleming (Canada/Chelsea)
Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon)
Sam Kerr (Australia/Chelsea)
Beth Mead (England/Arsenal)
Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal)
Alex Morgan (United States/Orlando Pride/San Diego Wave)
Lena Oberdorf (Germany/Wolfsburg)
Alexandra Popp (Germany/Wolfsburg)
Alexia Putellas (Spain/Barcelona)
Wendie Renard (France/Lyon)
Keira Walsh (England/Manchester City/Barcelona)
Leah Williamson (England/Arsenal)

The Best FIFA Women's Coach
Sonia Bompastor (France/Lyon) 
Emma Hayes (England/Chelsea)
Bev Priestman (England/Canadian National Team)
Pia Sundhage (Sweden/Brazilian National Team)
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (Germany/German National Team)
Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands / English National Team)

The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper
Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany/Chelsea Women)
Mary Earps (England/Manchester United) 
Christiane Endler (Chile/Lyon)
Merle Frohms (Germany/Eintracht Frankfurt /Wolfsburg)
Alyssa Naeher (United States/Chicago Red Stars)
Sandra Panos Garca-Villamil (Spain/Barcelona)

Julian Nagelsmann expects to be without Sadio Mane for the first leg of Bayern Munich's Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain but says there is a chance he could feature in the second.

Mane was ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar after suffering a fibula injury in November.

The Senegal forward, who joined Bundesliga champions Bayern from Liverpool last June, underwent surgery and is on the road to recovery.

Bayern head coach Nagelsmann does not envisage Mane playing a part in the clash against PSG at the Parc des Princes on February 14.

However, if Mane does not suffer any setbacks, Nagelsmann hopes he may be able to call upon the 30-year-old for the showdown with the Ligue 1 champions at the Allianz Arena on March 8.

Nagelsmann said during a press conference in Doha on Thursday: "He's [Mane] an important player. If everything goes well, then it could be the case that he returns in time for PSG.

"We will see how he reacts to the workload. Personally, I'm not yet considering him for the first leg."

Bayern will face Salzburg on Friday in a friendly before resuming the Bundesliga season with a trip to RB Leipzig next Friday.

Matthijs de Ligt will not face the Austrian side due to an ankle injury, but new signing Daley Blind will be included after joining the Bavarian giants following his release by Ajax.

Nagelsmann said of the Netherlands full-back: "He will play tomorrow. He still needs some time, because the intensity in training is a bit higher.

"You can tell that he has a lot of experience and he looks confident on the ball. He will be the player that we imagined he'd be."

Christophe Galtier was grateful to have Lionel Messi back as the World Cup winner scored in Paris Saint-Germain's 2-0 win against Angers on Wednesday.

The Argentina captain made his first appearance back for his club since lifting the trophy last month, and with PSG only leading 1-0 against Ligue 1's bottom club after Hugo Ekitike's early goal, Messi made the game safe in the 72nd minute as he ran onto a pass from Nordi Mukiele before finishing into the bottom left corner of the net.

Speaking after the win, Galtier thanked the fans for their celebration of Messi's achievement in Qatar, despite Argentina beating France in the World Cup final.

"Thank you to our supporters for welcoming him in the way that they did. That means a lot to him. Our fans also got behind him when the game was difficult," the PSG head coach said.

"Messi has recovered well. He has had quite a few training sessions back with us now. He seemed lighter and in very good physical shape.

"Of course, the team is different with and without Messi. He also scored an important goal for us tonight and we all know that he loves scoring goals, he is the sort of player who needs goals.

"I spoke to him at half-time to see how he felt and he said he felt good... It is important to have Messi back at the heart of our game. The fact that he played 90 minutes is even better."

 

Galtier also explained why he opted for a 3-4-2-1 formation, emphasising the importance of his team being able to show flexibility as they extended their lead at the top of the table to six points following Lens' draw with Strasbourg.

"It was for this game, based on how we prepared," he said. "I felt it was not going to work in the way we had prepared. I also spoke to my players and my staff in terms of our options, and we took a different one.

"The team performed very well in this system at the start of the season in big games. That is how it went tonight. It is important for a team like Paris Saint-Germain, for my players, and also, for me and the staff to have options, as well as the ability to switch from one system to another."

Lionel Messi helped Paris Saint-Germain get back to winning ways in Ligue 1 in his first game since winning the World Cup, scoring in a 2-0 victory against Angers on Wednesday.

Hugo Ekitike put PSG ahead inside five minutes at Parc des Princes as the 20-year-old continued his recent form in front of goal, before Messi clinched the points with just under 20 minutes to go with a typically stylish finish as the defending champions extended their lead at the top of the league to six points.

After being beaten 3-1 in their previous league outing by title rivals Lens, Christophe Galtier was able to recall Messi and Neymar back into the team for the visit of bottom-of-the-table Angers.

Abdel Bouhazama did not name star players Azzedine Ounahi and Sofiane Boufal in his starting XI, with both being linked with moves away in the January transfer window, though the latter came off the bench for the final half-hour.

After a minute's applause was observed to pay respect to the late Pele, PSG started with intent as Ekitike swept Nordi Mukiele's low cross from the right past Angers goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni to score in his third-consecutive game.

It should have been 2-0 midway through the first half when Sergio Ramos got on the end of a Messi free-kick, only for Bernardoni to make a smart save from the Spaniard's header, before also denying Messi with a stop to his left just after the half-hour mark.

Angers started the second half well as PSG struggled to put the game to bed, and Abdallah Dipo Sima should have done better when in acres of space on the right of the hosts' penalty area on the hour, but he blazed his shot over the bar.

Messi had a nervous wait to see if he had doubled the lead in the 72nd minute after he ran onto a Mukiele pass to roll the ball into the bottom-left corner of the net, with a VAR review eventually overruling the initial decision of offside, much to the Argentine's delight and PSG's relief.

Kylian Mbappe would be taking on "a huge responsibility" if he becomes the new France captain, after Hugo Lloris retired from international football.

That is the verdict of Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier, who steered clear of either recommending the role to Mbappe or putting any pressure on national coach Didier Deschamps.

At the age of 24, Mbappe has already won 66 caps for Les Bleus, scoring 36 goals in the process.

He won the World Cup in 2018 and scored a hat-trick against Argentina in the 2022 final but painfully finished on the losing team.

PSG striker Mbappe appears an obvious candidate, but he may not aspire to the captaincy, which Lloris held for 10 years.

Manchester United defender Raphael Varane is another strong contender for the role, according to reports in France, having served as vice-captain at the World Cup.

Galtier said on Tuesday: "I'm not the national team coach. I'm not going to get involved in the France captain discussion. Sometimes, the France captain is of a certain age with a certain number of caps.

"Kylian Mbappe has got many under his belt and many incredible performances. I haven't spoken to Kylian Mbappe about whether he will be the France captain or not.

"Of course, that is a huge responsibility. It is not me who will decide who the captain will be. Even without the armband, he is a leader."

Paris Saint-Germain left out their biggest stars and survived a scare to progress in the Coupe de France, earning a 3-1 win at Chateauroux on Friday.

An early goal from Hugo Ekitike was cancelled out by Natanael Ntolla before half-time, and PSG had to wait until the 78th minute for Carlos Soler to bundle home for the Ligue 1 side before Juan Bernat added some gloss to the score late on.

Christophe Galtier included 16-year-old Warren Zaire Emery in his much-changed starting line-up, with no Lionel Messi, Neymar or Kylian Mbappe as Ekitike, Pablo Sarabia and Soler were selected in attack.

Chateauroux, who play in the third tier of French football, belied their lowly position of 14th in the Championnat National with a determined showing against their celebrated opponents, but PSG ultimately made it through to the last-32 stage.

The visitors took the lead in the 13th minute when Ismael Gharbi's first-time ball from the edge of the box into the path of Ekitike allowed the young striker to finish neatly in off the left post with the outside of his right foot.

Jonathan Mexique went close for the home side with a close-range shot in the 26th minute that was deflected over by a diving Vitinha, while Paul Delecroix made a good save down to his left from a Gharbi volley shortly after.

The scores were level eight minutes before the break though after neat work down the left ended with former Lille and Saint-Etienne striker Nolan Roux pulling the ball back for Ntolla, whose goal-bound shot was deflected past Keylor Navas by 17-year-old PSG defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu.

Galtier called for more experience in the second half as Sergio Ramos and Fabian Ruiz came on just after the hour, and the coach eventually saw his team re-take the lead as Vitinha stood up a cross to the far post that allowed Ekitike to head at goal, with Soler following up from Delecroix's initial save.

Bernat made it 3-1 in stoppage time after racing onto a ball from Ruiz and firing low and hard across Delecroix to seal the victory for PSG.

Ousmane Dembele is "happy in Barcelona" and wants to stay, amid reports linking him with a move to Paris Saint-Germain in his native France.

Dembele has had a mixed time in LaLiga since arriving at Barca for big money from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, but the 25-year-old has enjoyed a productive spell since Xavi took charge last season.

He has been involved in more goals than any other Blaugrana player since Xavi became head coach in November 2021, scoring eight and providing 20 assists.

That includes six goals and seven assists in 22 games this season (17 starts), and Dembele also provided two assists in his seven appearances for France as they finished as runners-up at the World Cup in Qatar.

However, despite stories suggesting PSG could be in line to bring him to Ligue 1, the former Rennes winger told Belgian television station Eleven Sports he is content at Camp Nou.

"I signed a new contract at Barca four months ago and I'm happy here, I want to keep working and improving at Barcelona," he said. "I am good here, I am happy in Barcelona, I like my life here. The coach trusts me, and the board [trust me] too."

Dembele has just 18 months remaining on his contract, but Barca president Joan Laporta insisted on Thursday he is "not for sale", telling Sport: "If PSG come to sign him, we will tell them he is not for sale.

"He's one of the most important players that we have. He has extraordinary speed, he's a lightning bolt. Every time he gets the ball he upsets defences and yesterday [in the 4-3 Copa del Rey win against Intercity] he scored a great goal.

"He won't go for €70million euros or any amount."

Paris Saint-Germain are regularly a topic of transfer speculation, with plenty of discussion around Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi recently.

But Neymar is another who has been linked with a move away from Parc des Princes in the past, having been with PSG since 2017.

The former Barcelona forward signed a contract extension in 2021 after originally joining on a five-year deal.

TOP STORY – PSG OPEN TO OFFERS FOR NEYMAR IN JANUARY

Paris Saint-Germain have put Brazil superstar Neymar up for sale, according to Fichajes.

The French champions are willing to listen to offers for the 30-year-old, who is contracted until 2025.

The report claims PSG have lowered their price to €50million, which may attract the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United and Manchester City.

 

ROUND-UP

– The Mail reports Manchester United have opened talks with Monaco defender Axel Disasi, although the 24-year-old is also being tracked by a few other Premier League clubs.

– Manchester United target Mohammed Kudus has had a £40m price tag slapped on him by his Dutch club Ajax, claims The Star. The 22-year-old Ghana midfielder impressed at the World Cup.

– Real Madrid are bullish about their prospects of beating Liverpool in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, claims Marca.

– Calciomercato reports Madrid will rival Juventus in the chase to sign 18-year-old right-back Ivan Fresneda from Real Valladolid.

– Sevilla are circling to sign Sergio Ramos once his PSG contract expires at the end of this season, claims Fichajes, although he will need to take a pay cut for the move to transpire.

– Fabrizio Romano reports struggling Premier League club Southampton have agreed to a £6m deal to sign Croatia international Mislav Orsic from Dinamo Zagreb.

Mykhaylo Mudryk has informed Shakhtar Donetsk that he wants to join Arsenal amid talk of interest from Chelsea, reports 90min.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta reiterated keeping Lionel Messi at the club in 2021 was impossible because the club was "in ruins" financially.

Having come through Barca's academy, Messi's departure ended a 21-year association and highlighted the seriousness of the club's economic issues.

Messi's contract expired at the end of the 2020-21 season, and although he technically became a free agent, it was widely assumed Barca would re-sign him to a new deal once room was made in the budget.

But Barca – whose debts were at €1.35billion in August 2021 – had their LaLiga salary cap slashed by €280million ahead of the 2021-22 campaign as a result of their financial problems.

As such, even with a 50 per cent wage reduction reportedly agreed, Barca still could not afford to sign Messi to a new deal, and Spanish employment law forbids employers decreasing wages beyond 50 per cent.

"I had to put Barca ahead of the best player in the history of football," Laporta told Cadena SER.

"In those moments of financial ruin I couldn't keep him. I think it was the best thing for the club."

Of course, Messi continues to be linked with a return to Barca with his Paris Saint-Germain contract set to expire at the end of the season.

Similarly, reports suggest Messi has already agreed an extension with PSG, the announcement simply delayed by his participation in – and time off after – the World Cup.

Laporta was not eager to anger PSG – with whom Barca share a frosty relationship – by speaking about Messi, though his regret about the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner not having a greater send-off might be interpreted by some as him hinting at a potential second chance.

"I prefer not to talk about Leo because he is a PSG player, as then [if I spoke about him] there are missiles that come from everywhere," he added. "We are focused on the players who are ours.

"Leo will always be part of our emblem, and I would like him to have a different ending to the one he had."

Inter remain hopeful of agreeing a new contract with in-demand defender Milan Skriniar, but chief executive Giuseppe Marotta has warned the Nerazzurri "cannot do the impossible".

Skriniar, who was strongly linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain in the last transfer window, could be set to leave San Siro on a free transfer when his contract expires in June.

Premier League sides Chelsea and Tottenham have also been touted as possible destinations for a player who reportedly attracted a PSG bid of €50million plus add-ons in August.

Key figures at Inter have repeatedly stressed the importance of agreeing fresh terms with Skriniar, but Marotta has warned there is only so much the Serie A giants can do.

"There are other teams grappling with these situations. We are negotiating a renewal with his representatives because we believe Milan deserves to be part of our staff in the present and future," Marotta told DAZN on Wednesday. 

"We presented an offer to him and hope to soon reach a conclusion.

"In life I'm always optimistic, but in this case optimism is linked to realism. We know we can do a lot, but we cannot do the impossible."

Inter made a successful return to league action on Wednesday, defeating Scudetto favourites Napoli 1-0 at San Siro to move into Serie A's top four – and within eight points of the summit.

However, the Nerazzurri's supporters should not expect a plethora of mid-season arrivals to boost their title hopes, with Marotta outlining the difficulties of the January transfer window.

"In the winter transfer window, you don't always find correct valuations; there aren't always opportunities that are up to the standards of the current squad," he added.

"The team right now is satisfying and we have the utmost respect for them, then we'll see if there are any opportunities."

Paris Saint-Germain did not lose to Lens simply because Lionel Messi and Neymar were unavailable, according to captain Marquinhos.

The Ligue 1 leaders slipped to a first loss of the season, with goals for Przemyslaw Frankowski, Lois Openda and Alexis Claude-Maurice ensuring a 3-1 defeat at Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Sunday.

Christophe Galtier's side were missing key personnel, with Messi only just returning from a post-World Cup victory break and Neymar banned after a red card against Strasbourg.

However, Marquinhos refused to cite the lack of the former Barcelona pair, instead suggesting PSG were simply outclassed by a superior opponent.

"They are great players who make the difference," Marquinhos told Amazon Prime Video. "But we have already won without them.

"We have to find the cohesion of our team again. I think Lens were more efficient, especially in the first half. They won the duels which made the difference.

"We had opportunities to come back, to score, but we weren't able to be as efficient as they were."

PSG's defeat was their first in Ligue 1 since March last year against Monaco, ending a 25-game streak without a loss in the top-flight.

It marked a first competitive reverse as PSG head coach for Galtier, after succeeding Mauricio Pochettino ahead of this campaign, and he felt his side gave an uncharacteristic account of themselves.

"Lens deserve this victory," Galtier said. "I had a hard time recognising my team. We lacked cohesion, we collapsed as the match progressed.

"We gave a lot of space away, we made a lot of technical errors. There was a lot of surprising wastefulness from my boys. They don't give me that habit usually."

Paris Saint-Germain slipped to a first defeat of the season as second-placed Lens demonstrated their Ligue 1 title credentials with an impressive 3-1 victory at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

Goals for Przemyslaw Frankowski, Lois Openda and Alexis Claude-Maurice in an entertaining New Year's Day contest reduced PSG's lead at the summit to four points.

Hugo Ekitike equalised in the first half, but Christophe Galtier's side were second best in their first game of 2023 as they await the return of Lionel Messi following his World Cup triumph with Argentina.

It was a dream start to 2023 for Lens boss Franck Haise, who celebrated his 100th match in charge in style.

A raucous crowd did not have to wait long for fireworks, with Frankowski on hand to apply the finish after Gianluigi Donnarumma could only parry Massadio Haïdara’s strike into his path five minutes in.

PSG promptly struck back three minutes later, when Ekitike poked a finish beyond Brice Samba, though the Lens keeper claimed the ball was kicked out of his hands by the forward.

Lens took that setback in their stride, and they were back in front with a goal on the break just before the half-hour mark, Openda taking a pass from captain Seko Fofana and beating Marquinhos before firing under Donnarumma.

Things went from bad to worse for PSG when Openda turned provider with a superb backheel for Claude-Maurice to rifle home two minutes after the restart.

There was no way back for the Parisian giants as Lens showed they are capable of putting up a serious title fight.

Marco Verratti was in line to make his 400th appearance for Paris Saint-Germain after being named in the starting XI to face Lens.

Italy playmaker Verratti signed fresh terms with PSG in December, tying him to the Ligue 1 champions until 2026.

Christophe Galtier selected the 30-year-old to take on Lens on Sunday, marking Verratti's 400th game for PSG.

Jean-Marc Pilorget, who played 436 times for PSG between 1975 and 1989, is the only other player to hit the 400 landmark for the club.

Kylian Mbappe, who scored a last-gasp winner against Strasbourg in PSG's first league match back after the World Cup, featured up front, with Neymar suspended due to the red card he received last time out.

Lionel Messi was already ruled out, with the 35-year-old having only been due to return from Argentina this weekend following his World Cup celebrations.

Lionel Messi signed off for 2022 by hailing the year when he won the World Cup as one he "will never be able to forget".

The Argentina captain is due back at Paris Saint-Germain at the start of the coming week after being granted extended leave following his Qatar 2022 heroics.

His seven goals and three assists on Argentina's route to glory earned Messi the Golden Ball award, and at the age of 35 he finally got to lift the World Cup trophy, his career's crowning moment.

Messi posted to Instagram a series of pictures of himself with wife Antonela and their young family, marking the end of a transformative 12 months.

He wrote: "A year ends that I will never be able to forget. The dream that I always pursued finally came true.

"But that wouldn't be worth anything either if it weren't for the fact that I get to share it with a wonderful family, the best one can have, and some friends who always support me and didn't let me stay on the floor every time I fell."

Messi's magical moment will not have been met with great reverence in Paris, given it was France that Argentina beat on penalties in the final after a remarkable 3-3 draw.

Addressing supporters, Messi made a point of thanking those from Barcelona as well as Paris.

He scored a staggering 672 goals during a Barcelona career that ended with a shock move to PSG in August 2021.

"I also want to have a very special memory for all the people who follow me and support me," Messi wrote. "It is incredible to be able to share this path with all of you.

"It would be impossible to get to where I got without so much encouragement that I received from all the people of my country as well as from Paris, Barcelona and many other cities and countries from which I have been receiving affection.

"I hope that this year has also been wonderful for everyone and I wish you all the health and strength to continue being happy in 2023."

Messi has reportedly agreed in principle to extend his PSG contract, which expires at the end of this season, and putting the finishing touches to a deal will be a priority for the Ligue 1 club in the coming days and weeks.

He will miss Sunday's game against Lens, who sit second in the French top flight, seven points behind PSG after 16 rounds of games.

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier says the club will only make signings in January if players leave the Ligue 1 leaders.

PSG needed a stoppage-time penalty from Kylian Mbappe to seal a nervy 2-1 win over Strasbourg in their first game after the World Cup on Wednesday.

That ensured they will end the year seven points clear at the Ligue 1 summit, and Galtier does not envisage the club dipping into the transfer market when the window opens on Sunday.

"I am very happy and very satisfied with the squad I have," he said ahead of his side's visit to Lens on New Year's Day.

"There will be no arrivals if there are no departures. There are no players who have asked to move. It means that the players are good here. 

"It's a long period, we have to see how things evolve. 

"A defender is not needed. We have El Chadaille Bitshiabu, who played against Strasbourg. He has enormous potential. We place a lot of hope in him. 

"Going for a defender would be blocking space for him. We want to promote our local talents."

Mbappe's last-gasp intervention against Strasbourg marked his swift return to domestic action following France's defeat in the World Cup final to Argentina on December 18.

Despite scoring a hat-trick for Didier Deschamps' side, Mbappe and his international team-mates came up short as Les Bleus were beaten on penalties in the showpiece game of Qatar 2022.

Speaking after the game against Strasbourg, the 24-year-old acknowledged the pain of France's loss in Doha will stay with him forever, but Galtier does not expect his disappointment to impact on his performances for PSG.

"If I understood his statement correctly, he said it will take time to digest the fact of not having lifted the World Cup for the second time. It's normal," he added. 

"But showing such a desire to win reflects his state of mind and his mentality as a very high level champion. 

"He was still this morning very dynamic, very happy. He is a player who is growing every day. How lucky we are to have a player like that."

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.