Didier Deschamps: ‘Are France stronger with Kylian Mbappé? Yes, just like Lionel Messi with Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo with Portugal.’
France manager Didier Deschamps has denied an over-reliance on Kylian Mbappé (24), but admitted that his team are better when he is in it.
There is no questioning Deschamps’ admiration of Mbappé, who will, inevitably, one day become Les Bleus’ all-time leading goal-scorer. In 2023, Deschamps made Mbappé his new captain, in the wake of Hugo Lloris’ international retirement post-World Cup.
Mbappé is an ever-present for club and country, and his absence is often felt. Les Bleus’ only defeat in 2023 came against Germany, a match in which Mbappé did not feature. However, in an exclusive interview with Le Parisien, he denied an over-reliance on the Paris Saint-Germain forward.
“When a team has the chance to have a player out of the ordinary, as is our case, it is normal to count on him, isn’t it? Kylian is out of the ordinary, to such an extent that it has been suggested that our offensive efficacy lies on his shoulders. If Kylian is efficient, it doesn’t prevent us from having different goalscorers. Even forgetting the Gibraltar match (14-0), there has been Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upcamecano, Kingsley Coman, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Randal Kolo Muani,” said Deschamps.
However, Deschamps nonetheless concedes that having Mbappé does “enhance” the team. “What’s the question? Is the France national team stronger with Kylian Mbappé? Yes, like Argentina with Lionel Messi and Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo. These out-of-the-ordinary players enhance their teams. Football has been like that since it has existed. But Kylian plays for the collective, and he knows full well that he needs others,” Deschamps told Le Parisien.
Deschamps added that he was “delighted” with his choice to give Mbappé the armband
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