Agency Report
Kylian Mbappe returned to action for France for the first time since Euro 2024 in Friday’s UEFA Nations League clash against Italy, with the superstar forward insisting he is not dwelling on that disappointing campaign.
The 25-year-old player will lead France in the heavyweight encounter in Paris as Les Bleus take to the field again, two months on from losing to eventual champions Spain in the semi-finals at the Euros.
It was a poor tournament in particular for Mbappe, who suffered a broken nose in France’s opening game and only scored one goal, a penalty in a group-stage draw with Poland.
It was put to the new Real Madrid signing that he might be keen to make up for that in the match at the Parc des Princes and Monday’s meeting with Belgium, but Mbappe dismissed that suggestion.
“Maybe it comes with age, but I have learned that it is not about revenge.
“Everything is a process, and what went well or not so well last year will help me this year,” he told reporters on Thursday.
The Nations League is the next objective for Didier Deschamps and his team before qualifying for the 2026 World Cup begins this year.
Mbappe and France, who will also face Israel in League A, Group 2, won the Nations League in 2021 when they defeated Spain in the final in Milan.
The former Paris Saint-Germain player admitted, however, that he was not sure how to feel about the tournament.
France were almost relegated from the top-tier League A during the last edition in 2022, only winning one of their six matches.
“We have already won it, but at the end of that match (the 2021 final) I didn’t feel like we had won a trophy. We came back to France. I felt nothing. It didn’t generate any extraordinary enthusiasm.
“Then there was the 2022 World Cup which we lost. We almost got relegated (to League B). We were hauled over the coals for that. It was a disgrace,” Mbappe said.
Italy came to Paris also looking to put behind them a disappointing Euros, as their defence of that trophy ended with a defeat by Switzerland in the last 16.
Their coach, Luciano Spalletti, is wary of a French side who, in general, struggled to score goals in Germany, reaching the last four principally thanks to their defensive solidity.
“Tactically they put you to sleep.
“They almost give you the impression that you are controlling the game and then that becomes their strength.
“You grow in confidence. You take two or three steps forward, and then they take the ball off you and release their wide attackers,” Spalletti said.
AFP
