Kylian Mbappe hid a back injury ahead of the semifinal of the World Cup against Belgium and the final against Croatia.
Mbappe hurt three vertebrae in his back when picking his things up to go for a shower.
"The most important thing was making sure that our opponents did not find out," Mbappe said. "They could have taken advantage of that and targeted this sensitive area. The players and the staff kept it hidden -- even for the final."
Mbappe said he hopes to be in contention for the Ballon d'Or alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Raphael Varane and PSG teammate Neymar.
"I would put Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Raphael Varane... and me," he said.