France captain Kylian Mbappé is leading an exciting new generation

29-Mar-2023 13:00:35 | The Guardian

Didier Deschamps has taken France to two straight World Cup finals. Given their talent, expect them to excel at Euro 2024

By Eric Devin for Get French Football News

It seems like only yesterday that Kylian Mbappé was a fresh-faced teenager, his knee slides propelling Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and a place in the Champions League semi-finals. He is now 24, a Paris Saint-Germain player and the captain of France. Is this a new era for Didier Deschamps’ side or is it just a reminder of how quickly time moves as one ages? On the evidence of France’s two wins in the international break – 4-0 over the Netherlands and 1-0 over the Republic of Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifying – the evidence points to the former.

The current France side bear little resemblance to the one that became world champions in 2018 and, after a raft of international retirements (Raphäel Varane, Steve Mandanda, Karim Benzema, the captain Hugo Lloris), one can even make the case that they have little in common with the team that lost the World Cup final in December – save Mbappé, the evergreen Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud. Some of this is circumstantial, with injuries waylaying the careers of the erstwhile midfield linchpins Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté, as well as the defender Presnel Kimpembe. But, more than ever, an incredible generation of footballers is coalescing around Mbappé, who looks very happy to take on the mantle of captain.