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By Martin Graham | 26th Mar 2023
Kylian Mbappe scored two goals in his first game as the captain of the France national team on Friday night.
Les Bleus faced off against The Netherlands who had Ronald Koeman returning as manager after an ill-fated stint at Barcelona and a subsequent sabbatical.
The game was a qualifier for the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament which will be held in Germany in the summer of 2024. It makes the first time the 24-year-old superstar would be donning the France national team armband in an official capacity and he marked it with a wonderful brace to finish the work that Antoine Griezmann and Dayot Upamecano started.
The decision to hand Mbappe the captaincy of Les Bleus is still the subject of much scrutiny thanks to the presence of the likes of Griezmann in the team. The Atlético de Madrid forward was touted as the next in line after former captain, Tottenham Hotspur’s Hugo Lloris, retired from international duty and handed over the armband after over 10 years of holding it.
It is no secret that Griezmann, 32, believed he would be taking on the armband after Lloris’ retirement. He was also the player believed to be next in line by the French football media. However, the Atlético de Madrid man will have to make do with being the vice captain until his retirement from the team.
Being the professional that he is, he will enjoy playing alongside his 24-year-old superior as was evident from their game against the Netherlands.
The game was a preview of what could be under Mbappe’s leadership. It could also be a mirage to a long period of suffering that sometimes follows when big decisions like that are taken.
Mbappe’s captaincy is following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar, all of whom received the armband before they were 25. While Messi and Ronaldo have gone on to hold theirs while leading their countries to great successes, Neymar has enjoyed successes but has had to relinquish the armband for a number of reasons that could be seen in Mbappe.
Our verdict is that, unlike Messi and Ronaldo who had learnt to be leaders from big figures in their national teams and clubs at the time, Mbappe could end up being the figurehead for branding and other purposes. He is a talented lad whose leadership ability is akin to Neymar’s: unsuitable for a giant like Les Bleus.
France will hope that the PSG forward’s competitiveness and drive will help him maintain the level he has since his first callup in 2017.
With 38 goals in 67 appearances for Les Bleus, Mbappe could end up being the team’s first captain to break the scoring record and this would set a positive precedent for the next generation of French stars.
Martin Graham is an MFF sports writer
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