Many have written (video here), praising the president of France and using the word “Leadership” on the viral videos. My take…People abuse the word “Leadership” in this world. That is the reason when Nigerian governors allow citizens to be killed endlessly, and their wives visit and cry-along with bereaved mothers, journalists hail them as showing leadership. What is leadership in comforting a millionaire who lost a leather game? Common people. If I write in Harvard Business Review and explain this as leadership, my first editor will throw away the piece.
Macron showed compassion and by doing that, he demonstrated that he is a human. Give him credit for that. He’s a nice dude but he also over-did it. It was not necessary to spend those huge seconds comforting Mbappe.
But note: this is not a sign of leadership. Every nursing mother with a teenager does this daily and we have not awarded them leadership laurels. So, Macron cannot get one here.
Mbappe, I hope grows up next time. His feelings, while genuine, were embarrassment to the spirit of sports. You cannot mourn losing a game this way because this is all entertainment. Common on, there are more important issues in the world – nobody died here, and this guy is making it look like the world has fallen for him. His father must tell him to man-up next time.
Comment 1: Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe, I believe empathy is a quality a good leader should possess (if it is genuine which I believe it is). Remembering it was Monsieur Macron that convinced Mbappe not to leave the French league for Real Madrid earlier in the summer tells me they have a kind of close relationship hence this “public display of affection” is not out of place.
On Mbappe “growing up”, Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe I will leave you with a quote from legendary Liverpool coach Bill Shankly “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that.”
My Response: Empathy is a subset of leadership but it is not leadership, in isolation. You can visit any of the terrorizing fields across Nigeria, as a governor/president, and mourn with any of the families, that is empathy/compassion, but that’s not leadership. Leadership is when you stop the next attack after that first mistake.
I leave a quote for you: “Some people fail to understand that the spirit of the game is more important than the score of win and loss. That even in loss or victory, respecting the united spirit of all nations is the original mission of World Cup”
Comment 2: Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe I don’t agree. We feel things differently. We feel a loss as fans but to Mbappe it’s his career and legacy. If a Start-up heavily funded by Tekekia liquidates, the customers will not feel it like a major investor.
His reaction is justified based on how much this means to him and asking him to grow up next time is “out of place”. Even the most experienced players with centuries of caps cry at the loss of a major trophy. Also, the president has also shown leadership qualities by coming down to offer moral support. Let’s not make it feel less important.
I think making a light of it does no good. In life, sometimes the little things go a long way. Mbappe could end up being depressed with no moral support….that’s very possible.
My Response: The worst sports-men and -women are those who think sports work only when they win. And that is the demon that brings doping, etc. The whole essence of the World Cup is to bring the world together and unite as a people on this planet. When we make it become what it is not, we have problems. You feel sad that you lost but if you want to play this game at that level, you must be conditioned to grow up because you will lose some and you will win some. Four years ago, he was all smiles at the same stage. This is a global party and losing should not be made to look like somebody died. Mbappe needs to understand the grand purpose of World Cup football: it is not the goals or the wins, but having a stage to unite the world. He must celebrate that and work towards that.
Comment 2A: Ndubuisi Ekekwe I quite agree with you on the Idea of what the World cup means to the world morally. We cannot measure that expectation for a man who:
1. Goes to training twice a day
2. Has his food conditioned
3. His sexual life conditioned
4. Is managed literally like an asset.
Even though the cup means unification for the world, to the players, its a life.
I agree with your postulation Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe but lets be aware it means more to the folks running around for 120minutes.
My follow up: He is a great star. But he needs to learn how to celebrate and lose. That is all. Mbappe does not put more efforts than miners toiling in Chile or some working in dangerous places in Congo, etc. That we tune in to watch it does not mean he is the greatest among us. He needs to show a heart that in this world, it is the rise of all, not just me. He disrespected the winners with his attitude!
Comment 3: I think Mbappe was being human, he put in a whole lot to ensure his team brought it home. That Hat trick was everything and more. It’s okay to be disappointed.
In my opinion, he handled his emotions quite reasonably – we’ve seen teams with swollen eyes from crying after losing a less-critical match than the finals of a World cup.
My Response: But if he handled it “quite reasonably”, the world would not be discussing that video. To my knowledge, other players also felt bad but everyone has been discussing one person. If that is the case, can we say it was “quite reasonably”. Sure, he is the best player, maybe he can also feel bad the “hardest” or “worst” way to be unique. But “reasonably”, not sure; otherwise, none would be writing about it. All the players were sad; natural. But Mbappe was exponentially sad.
Comment 4: I am quite disappointed that you’d call Mbappe’s reaction an “embarrassment to the spirit of sports”. Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Lionel Messi, Romelu Lukaku, John Terry…. These are all legends that have cried at different points in their career for losing a final.
I also feel that comment is very dismissive, and this is one of the reasons why the world as a whole continues to see an increase in mental health issues. Because of comments like this that would condemn and dismiss a person’s feelings / emotions without any iota of sensitivity.
You are allowed to have that as your opinion, but I think you could’ve have been a bit more kind with your words, and this is regardless of who might have been involved, or what the stakes were.
I do agree that Macron didn’t necessarily show Leadership, it was more of sympathy, and encouragement.
My 2 cents ??
My Response: More than 2 cents indeed…60 cents. Your views noted. Leave this quote (mine) with footballers you know: “Some people fail to understand that the spirit of the game is more important than the score of win and loss. That even in loss or victory, respecting the united spirit of all nations is the original mission of World Cup”
Comment / Response: Thanks Chiazo Anyaso for helping me, on clarity, with this comment: “Mbappe’s attitude is a demonstration of that base, insatiable human greed on world stage. Self first and nothing but self before others. Dude won the golden boot. Won this cup 4yrs ago…and with age on his side, will likely win it again in its next edition.
Perennial finalists and runner ups like Croatia who has yet to win this but once didn’t sulk like this. Football as a round leather object goes round…and round. From one embrace to another. Dude’s supposed to know better.”
Let me add: this was partly the reason I said it should leave Europe for South America because it is a world cup, not a European cup. An Igbo proverb says “ndu ka ihe eji azu ya” [life is bigger than whatever we do to sustain it]; the spirit of the World Cup is bigger than the awards and the cups. And all players must learn that, and respect the winners on how they handle losses.
Comment: Footballers are very passionate about the sport. Messi once cried when he lost the copa America cup. I don’t think Mmbappe overreacted at all.
My Response: “Messi once cried when he lost the copa America cup. ” – I wish all that Mbappe did was “cry”. The problem was he did not cry as most did. Ronaldo cried when Portugal exited; others did. But in those cries, you saw reverence for the game as emotions overcame men. Natural. There is a big difference between “crying” and Mbappe’s attitude.
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