Mbappe drives France on to spark
PSG striker makes case to be Brazil legend’s successor
This is the tournament of my dreams, says 23-year-old Leading goalscorer insists Golden Boot is not objective
It is hazardous to compare any footballer to Pele but, at a time when the whole football world is thinking about the greatest of all World Cup legends, no one in Qatar comes closer than Kylian Mbappe.
A new video went viral over the weekend of Pele performing a jawdropping montage of skills and just seeing him even through the prism of this grainy old footage was to be reminded of his genius. In Pele’s balance, turn of pace, array of tricks and low centre of gravity, it was also to see the resemblance to Mbappe.
Pele was 21 when he won the second of his three World Cups. Mbappe, another No10, would be only 23 if France follow that great Brazilian side of 1958 and 1962 and become just the third team to win consecutive World Cups.
Mbappe’s two goals were sublime. He provided the assist for Olivier Giroud to surpass Thierry Henry as France’s record goalscorer and, above all, played with a swagger, grace and smile that somehow transported what he had learnt in the Parisian commune of Bondy all the way to Doha. It was genuinely electrifying. England beware.
When Mbappe accelerated past Polish midfielder Przemyslaw Frankowski during the first half, his recorded speed even flashed up on the big screen. The verdict was 35kph. That equates to 10.2 seconds for 100metres.
Poor Matty Cash, the Aston Villa full-back who qualifies for Poland thanks to his grandparents’ heritage, had fared quite well but still looked like he had gone 12 rounds with Tyson Fury after he trudged off the pitch.
Mbappe, by contrast, had the smile and spring of someone who would have been perfectly happy to be told that the quarter-final would be starting right away. He also surprised some journalists by coming to answer media questions at a time when doubt has again been cast over his long-term future with Paris St-germain.
All smiles, Mbappe said his absence from previous press conferences in Qatar was a consequence of his desire to stay focused.
“This is the tournament of my dreams – when I concentrate that’s the way I function – and I wanted to be ready,” he said, revealing that he had offered to pay a Fifa fine slapped on the French Football Federation for his failure to attend a previous “man-of-the-match” media conference.
There were tensions following last summer’s European Championship between Mbappe and the French federation and, according to its president, Noel Le Graet, he even angrily claimed he no longer wanted to play for the national team. Mbappe had cited a perceived lack of support following the racist abuse he received on social media
after missing a penalty against Switzerland.
That soon blew over and, after 74 goals for club and country in the 17 months since, has never looked better, both physically and mentally. The goals here were Mbappe’s fourth and fifth of the tournament. “I’m not looking at the Golden Boot, the objective is to win the World Cup,” stressed Mbappe, when asked about his personal objectives.
His pass split open the defence for Giroud to put France into the lead. They did not then sit back, and the second half turned into the Mbappe show.
Having cut in from the flank, one effort rebounded narrowly wide off Kamil Glik. Mbappe then made extra space with a darting run in from the left and, having shaped to curl the ball into the top right-hand corner, rocked back and simply blasted it past Wojciech Szczesny at the near post. Szczesny was again helpless 17 minutes later when, after sprinting in from the left, Mbappe did deliver a trademark finish.
Didier Deschamps urged his players to feed off the joy that Mbappe had radiated. “Kylian can change a match in just a moment – we all want to share those smiles,” he said.
France (4-2-3-1) Lloris 7; Kounde 6 (Disasi 90+2), Varane 6, Upamecano 7, Hernandez 6; Tchouameni 8 (Fofana 66), Rabiot 7; Dembele 7 (Coman 76), Greizmann 8, Mbappe 9; Giroud 8 (Thuram 76). Booked Tchouameni.
Poland (4-1-4-1) Szczesny 6; Cash 6, Glik 5, Kiwior 6 (Bednarek 87), Bereszynski 5; Krychowiak 6 (Bielik 71); Kaminski 6 (Zalewski 71), Zielinski 5, Szymanski 5 (Milik 64), Frankowski 6 (Grosicki 87); Lewandowski 6.
Booked Bereszynski, Cash.
Referee Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela). Att 40,989.