Unforgettable Lessons Mbappe & The French Taught You While Being Massacred

Know this eye-opening truth about why you never play your A- level game

The mother of all comebacks! Unfortunately for the French, they lost. The cup may have gone to Argentina but the game belonged to Mbappe. You may not agree, but it was, for countless fans like me who were rooting for a man; not a country or a team. The human spirit cuts across borders, uniting us in football frenzy!

We saw the World’s best players like Mbappe in action yesterday.

They have supreme stamina & endurance to be able to run, nay sprint across the football field for over 90 minutes. While being aware of the moment & continuing to strategize their next move. They have to be at their peak fitness- mental & physical. Anyone who has played a sport knows that relentless discipline builds fitness.

Relentless discipline means not having a cheat day. Or planning a cheat day in advance so it does not upstage discipline. You probably equate disciple to sacrifice. And fail admirably at it. Admirably because you do try your personal best. You push your body & mind till you feel you can’t anymore. You don’t give up in vain. In fact, you probably give up while fighting. While you go down you say ‘I don’t think the sacrifice is sustainable. I have work/ I have a family/ or whatever excuse you choose to give yourself.’ Once you give up you settle for mediocrity. Hear the language? You make it about the pain of sacrifice.

But those like Mbappe at the top of their craft don’t have a magic key to it all.

They succeed because they don’t write their story around the pain of sacrifice. Their story is about the pleasure of a new & better goal. I realise this since I am a runner. Being a morning runner means not boozing over the weekend, declining party invitations that keep me up at night, eating healthy despite the temptation & practising even when the chips are down. My story is no longer about what I sacrifice, but what I get in return which is :

• A fit mind & body
• The high of competing in marathons
• The company of co-runners who have become my friends
• The morning camaraderie that’s a part of our run
• The cherry on the cake — I cannot binge the night before but I do cheat sometimes on a yummy breakfast with my co-runners.

How you perceive yourself affects your game.

You need a fresh pair of eyes. Especially if you’ve been perceiving yourself as average all this while. That was the French team till Mbappe scored their first goal. When the score was 2–0, they thought they were no match for wily Argentina. It was obvious in their body language. A high school football team could have defeated them. Compare that to how they rallied once they scored a goal.

Play your strong game, not your opponent’s game

South Americans are best at footwork. The European game is aggression. The teams each played to what they do best. We can’t imagine the French doing footwork or the Argentinians being aggressive! But that’s exactly why you don’t get to the top of your world. You try to beat your opponent at his game, rather than play yours with gusto. Your path in life doesn’t cross another’s. When you learn that is when you bring your A-game on.

Life & football are about the mind.

Before halftime, the French team was telling itself a loser’s story that played a loop. The story was that they were not good enough to take on Argentina. Their captain had to score a goal to rewrite their script. You may be a football player, an artist, a creator, or a working professional, but the game you play is about your mental fitness. I took to running late in life. Till I turned 40, my story was that I wasn’t physically fit so sports is not my game. Now I compete in marathons. I changed my story to make it about consistency & will. Tell yourself the story that helps you play your best game.

The fight is always you against you teaches Mbappe.

For the French, it was not Argentina vs France. It was their game before & after Mbappe scored France’s first goal.

Aggression (-) faith = misplaced hope

The French till their first goal, hoped a miracle would save them. The miracle was their captain. He was aggression (+) faith = a definite strategy.

Get in the field & fight like Mbappe

Mbappe’s attitude was to attempt what he always did — fight. Life is like that. You don’t always have your A game to bring on. Yes, sometimes your body will betray you on match day. But you get in the field & fight. You make a not-so-great day, memorable.

Messi may be GOAT, but Mbappe inspired me! I always post on LinkedIn Monday- Thursday mornings. I couldn’t post at my usual time today, as my son was unwell. But I am putting up a post now rather than never at all.

I got in the fight, rather than not fight at all!

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