He put his hand out. Mbappe went off to celebrate somewhere else.
That moment was replayed all summer. World Cup round of 16, Paraguay against France, full-time whistle. Orlando Gill steps towards Kylian Mbappe. The French forward heads off to celebrate with his fans. The goalkeeper’s hand stays in the air.
Six weeks later, that same goalkeeper is at Lille. A five-year deal, signed from San Lorenzo. And there he is in a news conference, forced to talk about the whole thing.
He does not duck it. “Personally, I have not spoken with Kylian Mbappe. I am a competitor and I do not like losing. Sometimes, you do things without thinking. I ended up apologising. I think that is already in the past.”
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The boos were no surprise to him
Paraguay played that match in their own way. Time-wasting, spoiling tactics, anything to unsettle Les Bleus. The French crowd did not forget. Gill did not either.
The difference is he thought about it before he signed. “I thought about that during the World Cup when I was told there was a chance to come to Lille. In every stadium, there will be some pressure, some boos. You have to know how to handle that, but I have learned to deal with it well.”
It is rare for a player to arrive knowing exactly what is coming. Most of them find out the hard way.
And then there is Ethan
A neat little detail: his new dressing room contains a Mbappe. The brother. Ethan, a midfielder for LOSC.
He has dealt with that one as well. “I spoke with Ethan, he is a good player and a great professional.” End of story, from his side anyway.
Now for the pitch. A Paraguayan keeper arriving from Argentina, a five-year contract, and a French crowd with a very clear memory of him. The first away trip will show whether the nice words hold up.
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