Former head coach of the Argentina and Colombia national teams, José Néstor Pekerman, had some strong words in response to Kylian Mbappé's comments about the difference in difficulty between the Euro and the World Cup. These remarks were made during a press conference when the Frenchman announced his new signing with Real Madrid.

"I've always felt the same way. It's a really tough competition. For me, the Euro is harder than the World Cup, even though there's much more pressure in a World Cup," Mbappé said.

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Moreover, before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mbappé had also disrespected non-European teams. "Argentina and Brazil don't play high-level matches to get to the World Cup. In South America, football isn't as advanced as in Europe, and that's why when you look at the last World Cups, it's always the Europeans who win," the forward mentioned.

Because of these statements, many football celebrities, both current and retired, spoke out, with the latest being José Pekerman.

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"It's the statement of a player that needs to be taken with a grain of salt. It's a mix of everything. He's hurt by South America because we took a World Cup from him. They had just won one and thought they could win another. And there's also the competition with South American players who go to Europe and do very well," the 74-year-old coach said.