France heads into Euro 2024 as strong contenders for the trophy, but their chances may largely hinge on Kylian Mbappe staying focused despite uncertainties about his club future.
Mbappe’s extended departure from Paris Saint-Germain and potential move to Real Madrid have dominated the news in France and Spain recently. His commitment to PSG for the last part of the season was uncertain, and his performances reflected this distraction, even though he still managed to score 44 goals for his club. Despite these challenges, France coach Didier Deschamps is confident that Mbappe will be at his best for the European Championship.
“The context around the France team is different,” Deschamps said last week as the squad began their preparations for the Euros at Clairefontaine, their training base an hour outside Paris. “Kylian has always considered himself to be part of a collective. He has responsibilities with his club and even more so with France.”
Mbappe has scored 46 goals in 77 appearances for France, including a remarkable hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final, which they lost to Argentina on penalties. However, he and the French team have unpleasant memories of the last Euros, where they were knocked out in the last 16 by Switzerland, with Mbappe missing the decisive penalty in the shootout.
In contrast, Mbappe was just starting his career at Monaco and had not yet debuted for France when Deschamps’ team lost the Euro 2016 final on home soil to Portugal in extra time. Deschamps, who led France to victory in the 2018 World Cup, acknowledged, “It is true that I have not won the Euros as a coach, but then lots of coaches have not won it. The demands on us are high because we have made so much progress.”
France easily qualified for Euro 2024, winning seven consecutive games before a 2-2 draw with Greece after they had already secured their spot in the finals in Germany. However, recent friendly matches served as a reminder that they should not become complacent. They suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Germany in March and narrowly won 3-2 against Chile a few days later.
Recent Comments