Real Madrid forward says his team can “aim high” given their level of talent and potential
Kylian Mbappe says he has embraced his role as France captain and key leader in the squad as he closes in on 100 international appearances.
“It feels strange to be speaking as though I’m one of the old guys, even though I’m not,” Mbappe said while on international duty. “Nowadays, I fully realise the role the coach and my teammates are expecting me to have. I was the star of the team in 2022 and in that position everyone concentrates on you and wants to look after you. Now, it’s the opposite. I’m the one who has to look after the others. Some of them were still kids when I was turning professional.”
The Real Madrid forward is also closing in on Olivier Giroud’s national scoring record of 57 goals, having moved within one after scoring in a 2-1 win over Brazil.
Mbappe believes the current squad has greater attacking depth than the group that reached the 2022 World Cup final. “There’s more talent and potential than in 2022,” he said. “Is it a stronger team? We’ll have to see the results, but we can really aim high with this team.”
France under Didier Deschamps showed their attacking strength during the international break, with a range of forwards contributing. Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki were central to their play, while Hugo Ekitike added a goal against Brazil.
A second friendly ended in a 3-1 win over Colombia, where Desire Doue scored his first international goal and Marcus Thuram ended a long scoring drought. Thuram also set up Doue for his second contribution of the game.
Defensively, France showed some vulnerability, although Maxence Lacroix impressed on his debut after being called up to replace William Saliba.
Off the pitch, Deschamps raised concerns about logistics during the trip to the United States, including delays at the airport and traffic issues. “We spent so long at the airport when we arrived,” he said. “I’ve never seen those kinds of checks. We’ll adapt to it.” He also criticised the use of cooling breaks, saying: “If you have momentum, those three minutes break it up. It’s not ideal if a team is on the verge of breaking down their opponent, and it turns into a match with four quarters. I guess the broadcasters are happy, though.”
France are using the trip to prepare for the upcoming World Cup, where they will face Senegal in their opening match. Despite the positive mood in the camp, there is caution given past disappointments in major tournaments.
Deschamps acknowledged the difficulty of selecting his final squad. “I’m well aware that there are some very good players that I won’t be bringing because, in my opinion, there are even better ones,” he said.
