The French national team is rewarding superstar Kylian Mbappé (25) a little too much for the liking of one of their former captains.
Patrice Evra made his first appearance on RMC Sport show Rothen S’enflamme this week, and the man who captained Les Bleus at the 2010 World Cup did not hold back his thoughts on how the Real Madrid superstar and current French skipper is being treated.
‘It is not Deschamps but the whole France that gave Mbappé too much,’ according to Evra. ‘You gave him the keys to the PSG, you give him the keys to the French team, but Mbappé is still a young player.’
Shortly after France lost the World Cup final to Argentina in 2022, Didier Deschamps named Mbappé the new captain, a decision Evra says he disagreed with.
Evra’s vote would’ve gone to recently retired French international Antoine Griezmann to succeed Hugo Lloris and wear the armband.
The two-time UEFA Champions League winner believes that Mbappé still has room to grow after winning the Golden Boot at the previous World Cup.
According to Evra, there’s no motivation for Mbappé to improve his level of play with the national team.
He says he wants the former Paris Saint-Germain star to put this team on his shoulders like a former basketball superstar did in the 90s with the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.
“I want Mbappé to become like Michael Jordan, to win for the team,” says Evra. Jordan helped the Bulls win six NBA titles in the 90s and is widely regarded as the greatest player in the history of the league.
Mbappé will not feature for Les Bleus for their upcoming two UEFA Nations League fixtures after sustaining a thigh injury late last month.
With Mbappé away for this upcoming international window, first-choice goalkeeper Mike Maignan is expected to wear the captain’s armband.
In 86 appearances for Les Bleus, Mbappé has netted 48 goals, the third-most all-time behind Thierry Henry (51) and Olivier Giroud (57).
