"He is far from what he can do for this team" - France legend blasts Kylian Mbappe for performances at EURO 2024
Legendary France midfielder Emmanuel Petit was critical of Kylian Mbappe's performances for the national team at Euro 2024 in a recent interview. The World Cup winner does not believe his compatriot has done enough as a leader and particularly as team captain for the team.
In an interview on talkSPORT, Petit revealed he was not impressed with the Real Madrid forward, saying:
"In terms of ego, I heard something that some players can be annoyed sometimes because he is taking up a lot of space in the dressing room and outside. For me, Kylian Mbappe is probably the best player in the team and the team is behind him but as I said before, as a leader, he hasn't responded in the best way on the pitch."
Petit also questioned Mbappe's willingness to take responsibility during games, saying:
"He is asking always about responsibility, to be the main man, to be the best player in the world. He has great ambition but he has to put himself under pressure because you have been there. He is far from what he can do for this team so I am expecting much more than that so if you keep doing that, it could be a problem with the rest of the players."
He concluded:
"Because you are thinking, 'You are the main man, you are the captain, you want to be the best player in the world, you are asking for the Ballon d'Or, you are asking to play for Real Madrid, fair enough.' Go show us that you are the best in the world because, at the moment, he is not doing that."
Kylian Mbappe has just one goal at Euro 2024, a penalty against Poland in the final Group D game, and will be keen to pick up his form in the knockout stages.
How Kylian Mbappe has fared for France at Euro 2024
Kylian Mbappe has had a rather muted campaign with France at Euro 2024, with him and Les Bleus not looking convincing in their opening three games. The Real Madrid forward has scored once in two games but has been able to help his country progress to the Round of 16.
Les Bleus next faces Belgium on July 1 in Dusseldorf, with the Euro 2024 favorites keen to improve their showing after finishing second in Group D. Kylian Mbappe will hope to build on his first goal in the Euros for France and help lead his country to their first Euro title in 24 years,