Kylian Mbappé is definitely going through a special year in 2024. In the midst of a divorce from Paris Saint-Germain at the start of the year, the Bondy player left his former club in a hurry to join the club of his dreams, Real Madrid. Having arrived with great fanfare at the Merengues, the player trained at AS Monaco had a sluggish start with the biggest club in the world, struggling to really make his place in the XXL squad of the White House. In the meantime, the 25-year-old striker had also had a complicated Euro with France. Author of a small goal in Germany, the captain of the Blues did not weigh in on his team’s game and could not prevent them from being eliminated in the semi-final against Spain.
His September rally is just as complicated. Amorphous against Italy, the right-hander was a substitute against Belgium and his entry could not dispel doubts. From then on, criticism rained down on the number 10 of the Blues who was questioned this Sunday by Bixente Lizarazu: “There are times in a career when you have to stop and refocus on yourself, because you already have difficulty finding yourself. I think the captain of Les Bleus is going through a moment like this. Mbappé’s best probably dates back to the 2022 World Cup and that’s the one we need to see again. (…) Mbappé is no longer as explosive or decisive as he was. He remains a very good scorer, a very good player of course, but he is no longer scary as before.” Christophe Dugarry also criticized the player before the match against the Red Devils this Monday.
Didier Deschamps is not worried about Kylian Mbappé
The 25-year-old has also been questioned internally by several players, where his status is even questioned. And while his case is seriously questioned as he has not scored with the Blues since the third day of the group stage of the last Euro against Poland (1-1), Mbappé is swimming in doubt. However, the top scorer in the history of Paris Saint-Germain can count on the support of Didier Deschamps who ardently defended him in a press conference this weekend. Questioned by TF1 after the match against Belgium this Monday, DD added another layer. For him, Kylian Mbappé will quickly find the back of the net and France has no doubts about him.
“Kylian feels good. Like all players, he is not at 100%. His shortage? Knowing his demands on that, it will be resolved. The goalkeeper made a big save. He will score goals. We focused too much on him. It is not by snapping our fingers that it will happen. The French team will always be stronger with him. The freshness, even if he feels good, is when he also continues. He will feel better in a month. There are high demands where he plays and he has already responded. He assumes his role as captain, even when he does not play. I have no worries with Kylian.” The message has been received and Kylian Mbappé will now have to respond on the pitch to ensure that the doubts are finally dispelled.
