It might be a good idea for his manager to remove the 25-year-old from the firing line because he has yet to do much more than travel through Germany.
Kylian Mbappe is the most vital member of the France team. Of his 83 appearances for his country, 13 have come at significant competitions, where he scored 48 goals. He's arguably the best player in the world right now.
He's accomplished more in his 25 years of life than most elite players do in their careers. After Euro 2024, Mbappe is expected to finalize his eagerly awaited transfer to Real Madrid, the 15-time European winners. The best may still be to come.
Nevertheless, Mbappe, who led France to victory in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and scored a hat-trick in the tournament's final match against Argentina in Qatar four years later, has yet to be seen this summer in Germany. Mbappe has only once found the net, and his overall play has been nearly nonexistent despite France making it to another semifinal. Before Les Bleus faces their most challenging test of the Euros thus far, Didier Deschamps is left with a vast selection conundrum.
With 20 goals in the Champions League knockout stage, while wearing a Paris Saint-Germain shirt, Mbappe is, when he is playing at his best, the ultimate big game player. He has yet to come close to playing at his best during this tournament, which is the issue. France may have a better chance of toppling Luis de la Fuente's brilliant team if Mbappe is listed among the substitutes on Tuesday. Spain will be fearless of this version of Mbappe.
"NOT LIVING UP TO EXPECTATIONS"
Despite Mbappe's extremely inconsistent shooting and yet another lackluster effort, France went on to defeat Belgium in the round of 16. Even while his dynamic dribbling gave the assault a much-needed boost, he wasn't playing at his best. Les Bleus easily defeated Dominic Tedesco's terrible Belgium team without needing to do anything particularly exceptional.
But Mbappe's most worrisome performance to date was in the following round vs Portugal, where his sixth and maybe last encounter with Cristiano Ronaldo turned out to be a damp squib. After 120 minutes, the two teams separated; penalties were required to determine who would go to the semifinals, and France prevailed 5-3 by remaining composed.
Mbappe would have received the fifth spot-kick in a typical scenario, but Deschamps unexpectedly chose to substitute his lucky forward during the extra time. Mbappe acknowledged that it wasn't a calculated action, saying, "I told him that I was no longer feeling up to it, that I was too tired."
Mbappe's decision to retire at this critical juncture says everything about his state of mind and body right now. Although L'Equipe is notorious for giving players low marks, their 2/10 for Mbappe felt appropriate. The French publication states, "he slowed down the game, even though he is supposed to give it speed."
Mbappe avoided one-on-one confrontations, seldom entered the Portugal penalty area, and displayed terrible passing and body language overall. The fact that the former PSG player isn't enjoying his football right now should be causing Deschamps anxiety before a semifinal matchup with a much more formidable foe.
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