Argentina's Emiliano Martinez trolls Kylian Mbappe in World Cup victory parade | OneFootball

Emiliano Martinez must be public enemy number one amongst France fans right now.

Not only did Argentina‘s number one channel football’s dark arts during the World Cup final penalty shootout, but he’s not exactly shied away from rubbing salt in Les Bleus’ wounds.

Truth be told, Martinez was pivotal on that most chaotic of nights at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, essentially keeping Argentina with his jaw-dropping save to deny Randal Kolo Muani in the dying seconds.

How did Martinez wind up France and Mbappe

And given his phenomenal record in penalty shootouts for his nation, France must have had a sneaky suspicion that they had their backs up against the wall from that moment onwards.

The incident everyone knows is of course Martinez throwing the ball away before Aurélien Tchouaméni’s miss, but such was his channelling of gamesmanship throughout the spot-kicks that a football psychologist could write a whole Twitter thread about it, literally.

And while it must be said that Martinez was seen comforting Kylian Mbappe after the final whistle, it would be fair to say that courtesy towards France‘s hat-trick hero ended there.

For starters, the Aston Villa shot-stopper could be heard shouting: “A minute of silence for… Mbappe!” as the Argentina players revelled in their third world title in the dressing room.

And now, Martinez has doubled down on his mockery of Mbappe as the Argentina players lapped up the adulation of the public upon their triumphant return to Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

With a reported four million fans taking to Plaza de la República and beyond, the players rightfully leant into the party atmosphere and indulged in memories that they will cherish forever.

How did Martinez troll Mbappe during World Cup parade?

It did, however, give Martinez the perfect chance to tease Mbappe all over again as he was remarkably photographed holding a baby toy aloft with an image of the Paris Saint-Germain star’s affixed to its head.

In images corroborated by ESPN and Get French Football News, Martinez can be seen holding up what must essentially be a visual indication that Mbappe is some sort of cry baby.

Take from it what you will, but it’s hard to imagine that the Mbappe/baby toy being held aloft amidst wild Argentinean celebrations was some sort of convoluted compliment, that’s for sure.

What did Argentina fans do to mock Mbappe?

Nevertheless, it was at least more jovial than the far more sinister mockery of Mbappe that was carried out by Argentina fans amidst the carnage of the celebrations in Buenos Aires.

That’s because footage has also emerged of a cardboard cutout of a coffin with an image of Mbappe’s face attached being set alight by Argentina supporters revelling in the streets.

Video: Argentina fans burn coffin with Mbappe’s face on

It’s perhaps a tad confounding that hatred and mockery of Mbappe has gone quite this far when he did little more than, well, play his heart out for his own nation.

Nevertheless, it’s clear that Martinez is well and truly on the warpath when it comes to his teasing of France and Mbappe, which is rather proving to be a case of you either love it or you hate it. Take your pick.