Vieira brands Emiliano Martinez stupid says Mbappe is the best 

French legend Patrick Vieira says the abuse of Kylian Mbappe during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup celebrations has ‘damaged the game’.

Argentina triumphed over France on penalties in last Sunday’s final in Qatar, with the South American nation revelling in their glory – a bit too much for some people.

The antics of Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has come under a lot of scrutiny in particular, especially after he was seen with a toy baby with Mbappe’s face on during the open-top bus parade in Buenos Aires.

The 30-year-old had previously mocked the France forward directly after the final, when he called for a minute’s silence for the PSG star while his team partied in the dressing room.

While Martinez is known for his use of the ‘dark arts’ during matches, his behaviour since the final has been widely condemned, with a former World Cup winner labelling him as: ‘The biggest s*** in world football’.

Vieira, who won the 1998 World Cup with France, says all this has tainted Argentina’s victory.

‘When you are talking about the abuse and the comments that he [Mbappe] received after the World Cup, I think that is damaging the game and himself,’ the Crystal Palace boss said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

 ‘Some of the pictures that I saw from the Argentina goalkeeper took away a little bit from what Argentina achieved at the World Cup.

‘I don’t think that they really needed that. You can’t control sometimes people’s emotions or decisions, but that was a stupid decision from Martinez to do that.’

Mbappe, who put a hat-trick and his shootout penalty past Martinez in the final, also received a torrid of horrific abuse from some fans in the stadium, as well as online.

 ‘I was really disappointed because I heard the same songs as you,’ Vieira added.

‘I want to have a picture of the Argentina fans with the passion and the love they showed during those games. Of course, they won the World Cup, but in the stands, they were the best as well.

Vieira says Mbappe is the best he’s ever seen at his age despite playing with the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry.

He told reporters: “I think he may be the most advanced quality-wise and mentality at this age.

“When you talk about the player and what he has been achieving in the last couple of years, it’s unbelievable. I think he is one of the top players in the world and one of the best French players, if not the best at the moment.

“When you look at the World Cup that he had, at that age, it’s unbelievable.

“He’s on his way to be with the best.”

Vieira also admits he has been very close to France coach Didier Deschamps and has been watching how he’s been able to get the best out of an obviously talented group when others before him failed.

He added: “I think it’s always difficult to compare international football to national football.

“As a manager, I’ll look at the decisions he is making and how he plays as a manager, trying to understand the roles and responsibilities of the players on the field and what he wants from the full-backs or wingers - the profiles of players he is putting in the starting 11.

“It’s always something to take when you have a manager like Didier. I strongly believe that he is one of the best because of the results that he has had with the national team.”