- Which England star has 7 GCSEs? Who has lost half of his finger? Test your knowledge of Thomas Tuchel’s squad with our exclusive quiz HERE
- See more Daily Mail on Google – save us as a Preferred Source
Kylian Mbappe’s ‘flute’ celebration during France’s victory over Senegal was a tribute to British presenter James Corden, it has been revealed.
The Real Madrid superstar, 27, surpassed Olivier Giroud to become Les Bleus’s all-time leading goalscorer with a brace at the MetLife Stadium on Tuesday night.
Mbappe sprung to life in the second half, and bagged his first goal of the tournament with a reverse finish past Edouard Mendy on 66 minutes.
Later, after Bradley Barcola added another and Senegal hit back with a goal of their own, the French captain netted his second with a stunning long-range strike rifled into the top corner.
He wheeled away with his arms spread and the stadium in raptures before performing his signature ‘arms crossed’ celebration – but it was how Mbappe celebrated his first goal which really caught the eye.
The Galactico could be seen playing an imaginary flute in what was actually a promise made to Corden.
Kylian Mbappe bagged his first World Cup goal on Tuesday night against Senegal – and dedicated his celebration to James Corden
Mbappe appeared on the star’s Fox Sports After Hours show ahead of the tournament, and revealed that as a child his parents encouraged him to play the instrument.
Corden then pulled out a flute from the backseat of his car, prompting Mbappe to display his rather underwhelming musical skills.
‘This is okay, this is okay,’ 47-year-old Corden joked. ‘Maybe this could be a new celebration. If you score your first goal, you run and then here (arms crossed), straight to here (playing the flute).’
Mbappe replied: ‘Yeah, I will do it for you. First game.’
It was announced last month that Corden would front the broadcasters’ FIFA World Cup on Fox After Hours programme – four years after quitting The Late Late Show.
But earlier this week in a moment which left fans – and Thierry Henry – utterly bemused, the Brit was labelled a ‘w****r’ by one of his colleagues live on-air.
During Fox’s coverage of a match at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, host Rebecca Lowe was debating with Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and ex-US footballer Alexi Lalas when the latter used the expletive.
Lowe had asked: ‘Can we talk about James Corden for a second?’ before Lalas rudely quipped: ‘What do you guys (Britons) call him? A w*****r?.’
Les Bleus got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start with a 3-1 win against the African nation
The outburst left Arsenal icon Henry in shock as he questioned: ‘What did he just say?’
France’s victory last night sent them top of Group I, but only briefly before Norway thrashed Iraq 4-1 thanks to a brace by Erling Haaland.
Mbappe had been at the centre of much debate surrounding the French squad heading into the tournament, and even admitted last week that he has ‘too many people who hate him’.
But the Madridista answered his critics perfectly in New Jersey and, speaking afterwards, appeared strikingly confident.
He told reporters: ‘There’s no such thing as revenge. If I started playing to silence all the people who criticise me, I’d have to play until I was 80.
‘I play to make history for my country and to help my team reach the final and win the World Cup.
‘The rest will always be part of who I am and my career as a player.’
France and Mbappe are next in action on Monday evening against Iraq.
Which England star has 7 GCSEs? Who has lost half of his finger? Test your knowledge of Thomas Tuchel’s squad with our exclusive quiz HERE.
