Kyle Walker appeared to completely ignore Kylian Mbappe in the tunnel before France and England’s World Cup quarter final clash.
Much was being made of the battle between the England defender and the French superstar ahead of the match.
Many believed that whoever won that duel would win the tie for their side.
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Ahead of the game, Walker insisted that he wouldn’t be giving arguably the best player in world football any special treatment.
“We respect that he is a good player in good form at the minute but I’m not going to roll out a red carpet for him and tell him to go and score,” Walker said. “I am representing my country in the quarterfinal of a World Cup so it is do or die really. If we lose, we go home. He is not going to stand in my way of hopefully winning a World Cup for my country.”
And Walker’s attitude towards Mbappe could be seen clearly even before the match kicked off.
That’s because a video has emerged that appears to show him ignoring the Paris Saint-Germain forward in the tunnel.
A clip shows Mbappe seemingly greeting Walker by holding out his hand for a handshake. However, Walker just turns around and stares at him.
Some claimed it was Jordan Henderson who ignored Mbappe but it seems to actually be the player in front of him – Walker. Another clip actually shows Walker looking towards Mbappe before turning around and ignoring him.
VIDEO: Kyle Walker appears to blank Kylian Mbappe
Did Walker blank Mbappe?
On the pitch, the Manchester City defender may have won the battle against Mbappe but England lost the war as France triumphed 2-1 on the night
Other than one moment in which Mbappe tore past Walker with searing pace, the right-back came out on top against the Frenchman.
But Mbappe did have the last laugh – quite literally.
Footage emerged of him laughing wildly after Harry Kane blazed his late penalty over the crossbar.
Mbappe knew that England’s final chance to force the game into extra time had gone and his side were heading through to the semi finals of the competition.
Mbappe and France will now face Morocco in the last four as they look to win back-to-back World Cups.
If they manage to get past the African side, either Argentina or Croatia await in the final.
Despite his quiet night against England, Mbappe is currently the favourite to win both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot at this World Cup.
That would represent a pretty decent tournament – especially if France can get their hands on the trophy once again.
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