“There are times when…”

Captain and X-factor of the French team,
Kylian Mbappé has not yet had a reference match since the start of the Euro. Silent against Austria before breaking his nose in a duel with Kevin Danso, the prodigy from Bondy had the merit of unlocking his counter against Poland, during the third group match, by converting a penalty obtained by Ousmane Dembélé (1-1).

However, his performance was insufficient given expectations. Like his attacking partner Antoine Griezmann, the new Real Madrid player has not escaped criticism. The French team staff was keen to defend him this Wednesday, in front of the press.

Why does Mbappé shine less? The mask, but not only

Asked about the performance of the captain of the Blues, Guy Stéphan, faithful assistant to Didier Deschamps, put things into context. “We all downplayed his broken nose a bit. It doesn’t explain everything, but the shock is traumatic. He’s playing with a mask. And the mask isn’t easy to play with. It’s difficult for peripheral vision.”

Guy Stéphan also mentions other reasons to explain the more sluggish first part of the Euro for the number 10 of the Blues.
“He also had a bit of a tiring end to the season. But Kylian remains a top top top player. There are times when these top top players are a bit less good. That doesn’t stop him from being very present, very unifying.”