Kylian Mbappe says he needs to do more without the ball, and he wants that change to start now. France's captain said his defensive work has to take “the extra step” because it matters to the team, adding that he is ready to do whatever it takes because he wants to win.
That message matters because France begin their World Cup campaign against Senegal on Tuesday, with Mbappe at the center of the pressure. The 27-year-old enters the tournament as the player France look to for goals, leadership and now more defensive effort, after a club season that brought frustration, injury and questions about whether he was doing enough in the right moments.
The numbers behind the criticism are stark. Opta data put Mbappe 1,350th out of 1,490 players in Europe's big five leagues for a combined measure of interceptions, blocks, tackles made and possession won. He averaged 0.14 tackles per 90 minutes, the fifth lowest figure in that ranking. In other words, his attacking output has remained elite while his defensive return has been far harder to find.
That contrast is part of why the discussion around him has grown louder. Mbappe missed part of Real Madrid's season with a hamstring injury after moving to the Spanish capital from Paris St-Germain in 2024, and Real failed to win a trophy in his second season at the Bernabeu. He was La Liga's top scorer, but fan frustration and rumours of dressing room unrest followed him through a difficult campaign. Ousmane Dembele said the criticism had gone too far, but the scrutiny has not eased.
Mbappe's record for France keeps the focus on what he can still deliver. He has scored 12 times in his 14 World Cup matches so far, including a hat-trick in the 2022 final against Argentina, and another goal would move him level with Olivier Giroud as France's all-time top scorer. This is also his first World Cup as captain after taking over from Hugo Loris in 2023, which makes the defensive pledge more than a personal promise; it is part of the standard he is expected to set.
France now have to turn words into movement against Senegal, then Iraq and Norway in the rest of their pool games. Mbappe has already shown he can decide the biggest matches with goals. The unanswered question is whether the same player can change the balance of a game by working harder without the ball, because that is what France need from him now.
