Kylian Mbappe has suggested France’s current squad may have a higher ceiling than the teams that reached the last two World Cup finals, though he warned that potential will mean little unless it is turned into silverware.
The forward knows the standard better than most, having been part of the France side that won the World Cup in 2018 before suffering penalty shootout heartbreak against Argentina in the 2022 final in Qatar.
France moved a step closer to another major final with a 2-0 victory over Morocco, a result that secured their place in the semi-finals and set up a meeting with either Belgium or Spain.
‘I don’t know if it’s the strongest, I was a world champion and a world runner-up, and this team hasn’t achieved that yet,’ Mbappe said.
‘However, it’s undoubtedly the one with the most potential. The one we can envision a future with. There’s a lot of quality in this team; it allows us to dream.
Kylian Mbappe believes this France squad has the greatest potential of any he has played in
Mbappe also underlined that the current group must match the achievements of the 2018 world champions and the 2022 runners-up
‘But, until proven otherwise, it hasn’t won anything yet. I’ve always said that the strongest teams are the ones that win trophies. That’s not the case for this one yet, so no, it’s not the strongest.’
Mbappe also admitted post-match that he will need to adapt after revealing he became distracted during the over three minute delay before his missed penalty.
He missed from the spot at the end of the first half of their quarter-final victory, but went on to break the deadlock in the second half, with Ousmane Dembele adding a quick second as France overcame Morocco 2-0 to reach the semi-finals.
There had been sympathy for Mbappe over the missed first half penalty, which was awarded when the forward was brought down in the box by Noussair Mazraoui.
Referee Facundo Tello addressed Mbappe on several occasions before the penalty could be taken, with the forward seen re-spotting the ball during a three minute and 12 second delay.
His penalty was eventually saved with Morocco’s Yassine Bounou diving to his left to keep out a weakly struck effort from Mbappe.
Speaking post-match, Mbappe acknowledged he had not taken the penalty well and said that the confusion before the spot-kick had distracted him.
‘I didn’t take it well,’ Mbappe said.
Mbappe admitted he became distracted during the delay before his penalty against Morocco
Mbappe had to wait more than three minutes from when it was awarded to eventually take it
Mbappe was seen questioning referee Facundo Tello about the delay at half-time
‘It’s complicated because there was a lot of confusion with the VAR review.
‘I made the transition with Ousmane, who passed me the ball. Then he told me there might not be a penalty and that we had to wait for the decision.
‘I let myself get distracted.
‘I’d imagined many scenarios to stay focused before taking a penalty, but never this one. I’ll have to adapt.’
ITV pundit Roy Keane was sympathetic to Mbappe as he labelled the delay ‘unfair’.
‘Listen it is unfair. Over three minutes. I know these are world class players but it is unfair because it is a pressure situation.
‘Why does he have to wait three minutes? These are world class players but it is unfair.’
Ian Wright, a striker in his playing days, felt the lengthy wait allowed for too much time for doubts to creep into Mbappe’s mind.
ITV pundit Roy Keane (centre) felt the long wait was unfair on Mbappe in a ‘pressure situation’
Mbappe broke the deadlock in the second half by curling a superb effort into the corner
‘It probably does put you off,’ the former Arsenal striker said. ‘The longer you have to wait for a penalty the more you doubt what you’re going to do. This stuttering penalty technique, the goalkeepers seem to have a march on it now.’
‘Time is the enemy for a striker when you’re waiting,’ Keane added, ‘so you’re giving the advantage back to the goalkeeper and the team who’ve conceded the penalty, so it’s not right.’
But Mbappe didn’t let it dictate his match as he emerged in the second half desperate to make amends before going on to deliver the game-changing impact.
First, he produced a stunning goal from distance to curl in for 1-0, his 20th World Cup goal in 20 matches, before he teed up Ousmane Dembele to add a second with 25 minutes to go.
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