A year and three months have passed since Kylian Mbappe shot himself ‘into the galaxy of greats’ with a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina. In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, French legend Williams Gallas dubbed Mbappe’s hat-trick “the best individual performance in the history of the competition.” But as we all know, the lethal striker and his team landed on the wrong side of history that night, as the penalty shootout saw Lionel Messi win his one and only World Cup title with Argentina. Hence, Gallas believes history will remember the victors- Argentina, and the Frenchman’s hat-trick would sink into oblivion.

With his 2022 hat-trick, Kylian Mbappe became only the 2nd player to scale that milestone in a World Cup final after England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966. Hurst’s 1966 hat-trick, however, stood the test of time, as England won the World Cup defeating West Germany.

William Gallas emphasized how Mbappe’s hat-rick will be forgotten, citing the ‘team sport’ aspect

During his exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, William Gallas was quizzed about Kylian Mbappe’s 3-goal riot and if Messi’s World Cup win overshadowed it. The French veteran initially praised his compatriot’s showdown, calling it the best individual show in the WC. Soon, the 46-year-old dished out a reality check. “Football is a team sport. You have teammates and sometimes it depends on how your team performs, even if you score a hat trick. People will always remember the winners of the World Cup, and unfortunately for Mbappe that was Argentina,” said Gallas.

Besides, the Frenchman also predicted Mbappe’s three-goal riot eventually perishing from the fans’ imagination. “Slowly and slowly, people will forget about his hat-trick,” William Gallas said. While fans might take time to forget the PSG star’s performance, the man himself seems to have long forgotten the otherwise stunning display.

Kylian Mbappe would have traded his hat-trick for a narrow win!

Kylian Mbappe once spoke about the dreaded World Cup final in an interview after that forgetful loss. The interviewer asked him if he was aware he had entered the game’s history books after the final performance. “To be honest, at that moment I didn’t realize that much. I would’ve exchanged my three goals for an ugly own goal and a 1-0 win,” Mbappe said in response.

Mbappe added that while his goal-scoring at the final was historic, France left without making history, as they lost the grand prize to La Albiceleste. As Gallas pointed out in the EssentiallySports exclusive, history has always sided with the victors. Anyhow, Kylian Mbappe, who is just 25 years old, has ample chances to have a shot at his second World Cup title, which would put him on a pedestal above many of soccer’s all-time greats.