Kylian Mbappé stars on their first outing as France’s captain. In his debut match as captain of Les Bleus, Kylian Mbappé scored two goals and provided an assist as France defeated the Netherlands 4-0.
Following the international retirement of Tottenham Hotspur goalie Hugo Lloris, Mbappé was elected captain. On Friday, he led the squad out for the first time in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualification match against the Netherlands at the Stade de France.
Once Dayot Upamecano made it 2-0, he assisted Antoine Griezmann to score the game’s first goal before scoring twice on his own to move into sixth place all-time in France’s scoring rankings with 38 goals scored since his 2017 debut.
Yet following France’s first Group B triumph, the forward—who also tops the Ligue 1 Uber Eats scoring records with 19 goals for PSG this season—was quick to thank his teammates.
Kylian Mbappé stars on their first outing as France’s captain
“It’s excellent for Mike [Maignan] to start with a clean sheet. We’re all behind him, so I hope it’ll give him a lot of confidence,” he added of the AC Milan goalkeeper who turned away a last-second Memphis Depay penalty.
“We worked all week on our preparation with the thought that we couldn’t let our fans down. As this was our first game back after the World Cup, we really wanted to emulate our performance there—with the exception of the final, which France lost to Argentina’s Lionel Messi on penalties despite Kylian Mbappé’s hat-trick.
In the post-Lloris period, Griezmann was also expected to be named captain, and there were rumors that Didier Deschamps’ choice had sparked a disagreement. Yet after the game, the head coach rejected that.
He told reporters, “Fortunately, I don’t follow what’s published and said. “The two get along well, work well together, and have the same goal of supporting the French team’s success.
“Antoine’s dismay persisted for two minutes. There isn’t even the slightest issue, like throughout the entire bunch. The positive energy was present everywhere. Is it a metaphor? It’s a fantastic thing. They have the potential to both assist and score, increasing our choices.
