Mbappe vows to add defensive effort amid World Cup criticism

Kylian Mbappe goes into France’s World Cup opener against Senegal with a familiar debate attached to his name: how much more can France ask from its captain defensively without diluting the threat that makes him their most decisive attacker. The scrutiny has sharpened after Mbappe drew a blank against Ivory Coast and Northern Ireland in warm-up matches and finished the 2025-26 season at Real Madrid without a trophy, even though he ended as La Liga’s top scorer.

For Didier Deschamps, the issue is not whether Mbappe can become a different type of player, but how France can use him without forcing him into a role that does not fit. Deschamps said Mbappe will never run 11 kilometres per match, and that is the tactical tradeoff at the heart of France’s plan: if Mbappe presses harder, tracks back more often and helps France compress space from the front, the team can stay more compact and protect transitions better. The cost is obvious too, because every extra recovery run is one less burst available when France need Mbappe attacking open grass.

The criticism has not been limited to fitness numbers. Mbappe became France captain in 2023 after Hugo Lloris, and his leadership has remained under scrutiny, with Frank Leboeuf among those questioning whether he is the right man to lead Les Bleus. The conversation has also drifted beyond tactics and results into behaviour away from the pitch, a sign that Mbappe is being judged as much on presence as production.

Inside the squad, support has been strong. Ousmane Dembele called the criticism “very, very unfair” and said Mbappe is “still a human being,” while defender Lucas Hernandez said the captain is 100% motivated for the World Cup and will silence his critics. That backing matters because France’s balance is built around Mbappe’s freedom in the final third, and teammates know that if he spends more energy on the defensive side, it could change the entire shape of the team.

The numbers still show why France keep leaning on him. Mbappe has scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup matches, leaving him four behind Miroslav Klose’s all-time record of 16. He is also one goal away from matching Olivier Giroud’s France record of 57, a reminder that even amid the noise, Mbappe remains central to France’s pursuit of another deep run.