This combination of images created on July 7, 2024 shows Spanish forward Alvaro Morata and French forward Kylian Mbappe. | Photo credit: AFP
France head into their Euro 2024 semi-final on July 9 against Spain hoping Kylian Mbappe can finally produce a performance befitting his superstar status at the tournament as he struggles to find form and fitness.
The match in Munich is an exciting prospect and a big occasion especially for Mbappe, in his first major tournament captaining his country and before starting a new chapter in his career at Real Madrid.
At the age of 25, and just fulfilling his dream of moving to the Champions League, Mbappe should be in the prime of his football life.
But the man who won the World Cup as a teenager and scored an incredible hat-trick in the 2022 finals in Qatar, has yet to play anywhere near the best in the European Championship.
Mbappe joined the France squad after a difficult finals campaign at Paris Saint-Germain that was marred by a rather unsavory divorce from the club as his playing time dwindled.
It has been floundering to some extent physically, lacking the usual explosive corner, a broken nose in the opening game of Les Bleus in the tournament against Austria has further reduced people.
He has scored only once, from a penalty, in the Euros and it may not be an exaggeration to say that his performance in the quarter-finals was against Portugal in Hamburg as the worst of his career in a big game.
Mbappe was eventually substituted at half-time in extra time – he later admitted he was tired – and watched from the sidelines as his team-mates won on penalties.
“He might not be here, so we have to look at it positively,” coach Didier Deschamps told broadcaster TF1 on Sunday.
“Kylian is here, even if he is not 100 percent, and I know that it will have an effect on the opposition who are forced to adapt to him.”
Whether Spain are too worried remains to be seen, with Mbappe clearly hampered by the protective mask he has to wear over his injured nose.
There was no prospect of him challenging for a header, and he indicated that his vision had been reduced by the mask.
His poor form, along with that of vice-captain Antoine Griezmann, helped explain why France scored just three goals in five games in their run to the semi-finals – one was Mbappe’s penalty against Poland and the other two were through own goals. .
‘When they speak, we listen’
However, Mbappe’s teammates insist they are not worried about their captain’s performance.
“I don’t think he will have a bad period. He has a good season. If he doesn’t score goals, we have to help him. The competition is not over yet. Apart from the small nose, he is not good,” said Randal Kolo Muani, who plays with Mbappe at PSG in the last campaign, on Sunday.
Mbappe is France’s third-highest goalscorer with 48 goals in 83 appearances, but has just two in his last nine caps.
In the meantime, he has been given the captaincy after Hugo Lloris retires after the 2022 World Cup.
On Friday, after being substituted, television cameras caught Mbappe giving a rousing speech to his team-mates before the penalty shoot-out against Portugal.
“Kylian is the player who went one-on-one three times in the World Cup final,” midfielder Youssouf Fofana said of his hat-trick against Argentina in Doha.
“So when he talked about penalties before the shootout, we listened to him.”
Mbappe is also very happy in front of the media, and in particular used the platform given to him in the press conference before the game to talk about politics, making clear his opposition to the right-wing National Rally in connection with the French parliamentary elections. .
He is a natural leader, but this goal-shy French team wants more from him than anything else.
Mbappe will not face any of his club-mates in the upcoming match against Spain, with right-back Dani Carvajal suspended after being sent off against Germany in the quarter-finals.
Whoever replaces Carvajal, Mbappe will be hoping to come out on top and lead France to their third final in the last four major tournaments.
