Whether France is strong or weak at the World Cup depends on... Mbappe's attitude.

The French team brings the most valuable squad to the 2026 World Cup, but if they can't manage the sky-high egos of players like Kylian Mbappe, coach Didier Deschamps' team will struggle to go far.

The French team is anxiously awaiting Mbappe.

The French media once circulated the saying: "France had two major events in 1998. One was the French national team's World Cup victory. The other was the birth of Kylian Mbappe."

Since the era of Zinedine Zidane, the French had to wait 10 years to witness a talent as great as Mbappe. A talent who emerged from Bondy's World Cup-winning team at the age of 20, he rose steadily to stardom. Many predicted that after the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Mbappe would be the brightest star.

However, eight years after winning the World Cup, Mbappe still has a perfect zero: 0 Champions League titles, 0 Ballon d'Or awards.

Mbappe and France face a challenge at the 2026 World Cup.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Two years ago, perhaps not many people would have believed Ousmane Dembele would win the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or before Mbappe. Starting out with the French U19 team, Dembele lagged behind Mbappe in every aspect. He suffered numerous injuries, was criticized as a "flop" at Barcelona, ​​and scored few goals in the Bundesliga and LaLiga. Despite this, Dembele has surpassed Mbappe. To date, the striker born in 1997 has won two Champions League titles. If France returns to the top of the World Cup, the Ballon d'Or will be hard to escape Dembele's grasp.

Why did Dembele leave Mbappe... "in the dust"? We have to go back to the day coach Luis Enrique harshly reprimanded Mbappe: "I read that you admire Michael Jordan. But listen, Jordan will fight alongside his teammates and defend like a madman. First and foremost, you have to set an example both as a player and as a person."

Is Mbappe good? Obviously he is. A player with 369 goals and 113 assists at club level couldn't possibly not be good. For the French national team, Mbappe has also scored 56 goals, including an unprecedented hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final.

While Real Madrid struggled this season, Mbappe still scored 25 goals in LaLiga and won the Champions League top scorer award despite the team being eliminated by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

Mbappe is outstanding, but his excessive ego has dragged the French star down the title race. The image of the French star strolling aimlessly, refusing to press, has become symbolic of the period when PSG, full of talent, failed to qualify for the Champions League. This is because those talents refused to look in the same direction.

Mbappe once scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Only when Mbappe left, giving way to Dembele, Desire Doue, Khvicha Kravatskhelia, Bradley Barcola... players less well-known than the 1998-born superstar but willing to "run to their deaths," covering the entire pitch to transform PSG into the best pressing team in Europe, did the Champions League trophy finally arrive in Paris.

PSG won the championship thanks to a true team spirit. And that team spirit only exists when the stars are dedicated to the common good.

Will Mbappe be willing to humble himself?

Coach Deschamps has pulled France from the "Knysna disaster" of 2010 in South Africa (when the entire team rebelled against the head coach) to the top of the world , thanks to his iron fist in a velvet glove.

Deschamps once played in a quiet position (defensive midfielder), was called "the water carrier" by Eric Cantona, but still captained the French team that won the 1998 World Cup. This is because deep within Deschamps was an ironclad discipline, dedication, and professionalism that few could match.

When he transitioned to coaching, Deschamps also prioritized discipline. France's playing style may not be aesthetically pleasing, but the influence of Deschamps is clearly visible in his players.

When the entire team played a cohesive game, France reached two consecutive World Cup finals (2018, 2022), along with one semi-final and one final of the EURO. In the last 10 years alone, no team has matched France's achievements.

However, a coach skilled at managing egos like Deschamps needs to compromise with Mbappe. Throughout a season plagued by scandals and divisions at Real Madrid, Mbappe was both the brightest star and a ticking time bomb if Deschamps didn't decisively defuse the situation. How would the French coach handle it if Mbappe didn't press, held the ball excessively, or played selfishly, failing to connect with Dembele or Michael Olise, who also have strong egos in the attack?

Dembele's status is now different. He is a two-time consecutive European champion and the reigning Ballon d'Or winner. Can Dembele and Mbappe form a strong partnership, given that France currently boasts two formidable players?

France's biggest opponent isn't any particular team, but rather the team's own internal strengths. Within that internal strength, Mbappe is the problem Deschamps needs to solve harmoniously.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phap-yeu-hay-manh-o-world-cup-con-tuy-thai-do-mbappe-185260602113857325.htm