Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski have voiced their opposition to FIFA's proposal that would see a World Cup played every two years.
Mbappe and Lewandowski made their feelings known during the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, where both men picked up individual awards for their performances over the past year.
The pair believe that a World Cup every two years would add to the growing strain placed on professional footballers. Mbappe also feels that if the plan is implemented it would dilute the allure of the World Cup.
"My opinion is that the World Cup is the World Cup, it is a special thing because it is every four years," Mbappe said.
"If you have it every two years, it can start to be normal and I want to say that is not normal.
"It is something amazing, maybe you play [in a World Cup] one time in your life. I agree with Robert when we talk about performance, we already play 60 games in the year. You have the Euros, you have the World Cup, we now have the Nations League, so many competitions.
"We are happy to play but when it is too much, it's too much. We have to recover, we have to stay relaxed.
"If people want to have quality in the game... if they just want to see games on the TV, of course, we're going to play.
"But if they want to see quality games, to see emotion, to see this type of thing that makes the beauty of football too, we have to respect the health of the players."
(Photo by Andrew SURMA/ Credit: Sipa USA/Alamy Live NewsLewandowski agreed with Mbappe's assessment of the World Cup proposal and reiterated the importance of protecting the player's welfare.
"We have so many games every year," Lewandowski said.
"So many tough weeks, not only the games but preparation for the season, preparation for the big tournaments.
"If you want to offer something special, something different, we also need a break.
"If we have the World Cup every two years, the expectation is the time where footballers play at a high level will go down... It is physically and mentally impossible."
The plan is backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger. FIFA has projected that hosting a World Cup every two years would generate £3.3 billion in additional revenue for the sport.
The idea has been met with resistance from regional footballing bodies including UEFA and CONMEBOL.
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