Rafael Nogueira
Kylian Mbappe enters France‘s 2026 World Cup opener against Senegal on Tuesday carrying significant baggage from a season defined more by scrutiny than silverware. The France captain failed to score in warm-up fixtures against Ivory Coast and Northern Ireland, and closed the club campaign at Real Madrid without a trophy despite finishing as La Liga’s top scorer.
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His performances, leadership and conduct away from the pitch have remained constant talking points after Real Madrid fell short in both the Champions League and the domestic title race. Questions about his captaincy have grown louder since he succeeded Hugo Lloris in 2023, with 1998 World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf among those to publicly question whether Mbappe is the right man to lead Les Bleus.
Inside the France camp, the mood is different.
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, who has grown into one of the squad’s most influential figures, argued the criticism directed at his long-time teammate has gone beyond proportion.
“The criticism towards him is very, very unfair. Some people overdo the criticism because he’s Kylian Mbappe. They shouldn’t keep going after him. Whether he ties his shoelaces or not, whether he pulls up his socks or not, it’s too much. He’s still a human being. With the France team, he’s very good with us, he’s a leader,”
Dembele told Spanish newspaper Marca this week.
Defender Lucas Hernandez echoed that stance, insisting Mbappe remains fully locked in despite the external noise.
“When you’re Kylian Mbappe, everyone looks at everything you do, on the pitch and off the pitch. He’s 100% motivated for the World Cup. All the criticism there has been this season, he’s going to silence it,”
Hernandez said.
France enter the tournament among the favourites, and this is Didier Deschamps‘s final tournament at the helm, giving Mbappe a direct stage to shift the conversation back to goals.
The World Cup has historically been the platform where Mbappe delivers without hesitation. He has scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup matches, placing him just four goals short of Miroslav Klose‘s all-time record of 16. One more goal would also draw him level with the retired Olivier Giroud at the top of France‘s all-time scoring list with 57 international goals.
France face Senegal first in Group I, before meeting Iraq and Norway. Stay across every development with TipsGG coverage throughout the tournament.