Six matches, six wins, 13 goals scored, one conceded. France became one of the first teams to qualify for Euro 2024 on Friday evening, with Belgium and Portugal, with two matches, and Kylian Mbappé shows that he is made to be captain.
It was another controlled and efficient performance from France’s Didier Deschmaps who won 2-1 against the Netherlands in Amsterdam. The Dutch were missing Frenkie de Jong and Cody Gakpo, but France also had to do without some key stars – Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba and Ousmane Dembélé included – and they were rarely put under pressure by the hosts, until the 10 last minutes. when Quilindschy Hartman struck out.
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Once again, Mbappé made the difference. These last few weeks had been funny for the captain. Mbappe rejoined his national team after four consecutive scoreless games for Paris Saint-Germain, his longest drought since joining the club in August 2017. He was also heavily criticized for his poor performance in the 4–1 defeat at Newcastle United in the Champions League. On Wednesday, he learned that a close friend had died in Bondy, where he grew up in the northern suburbs of Paris, and he left the France headquarters in Clairefontaine to visit the grieving family. He paid tribute to his friend by pointing his fingers, arms outstretched towards the sky, after each goal at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Today, Mbappé is back doing what he does best: scoring goals. And score against the Dutch. The first came from a good Jonathan Clauss cross from the right side, which he volleyed home from close range after just seven minutes, completing a magnificent team move with 23 passes and 72 seconds of continuous possession. The second arrived thanks to a good effort curled in a half-volley after a one-two with Adrien Rabiot.
Mbappé made his debut for his country in March 2017 at the age of 18 and scored his first goal in September that year against the Netherlands. He loves to play and score against Orange: he scored in the reverse match earlier this year and another in 2018 as well.
The double took him to 42 international goals, overtaking Michel Platini in the history books for fourth place behind Antoine Griezmann (44), Thierry Henry (51) and Olivier Giroud (54), and he provided 25 assists in 72 selections.
Just over two months shy of his 25th birthday, Mbappe’s statistics eclipse those of every other French international. Giroud was 31 years old with 31 goals by the time he won his 72nd cap. Karim Benzema was 26 years and eight months old and had only scored 23 goals and 16 assists. Henry was 28 years old, with 29 goals and 25 assists. Even the great Zinedine Zidane was 29, with 18 goals and 19 assists.
Mbappé’s efficiency (0.58 goals per match) for France is exceptional. He will beat Giroud’s record as France’s all-time top scorer. And at that rate, he should also surpass Hugo Lloris’ record of 145 appearances as the most capped player.
It was a typical Deschamps victory: solid and efficient but not surprising or impressive. Nonetheless, France have now qualified for their 15th consecutive major tournament, a fantastic achievement, with the 1994 World Cup being the last time they were at home. And in those 14 competitions, they reached the final in six of them, winning three (two World Cups and one Euro).
In Germany next summer, they will once again be among the favorites, especially with Mbappé in the squad. Mbappé felt like the most obvious choice when Lloris retired from international football after the World Cup in Qatar. He won his first six matches as France captain (he was an unused substitute in the friendly defeat by Germany last month), a feat Marcel Desailly did not equal until 1999.
Blues won the 2018 World Cup after losing the Euro final two years earlier. In the locker room after the victory in Amsterdam on Friday, some players spoke of the ambition to do it again, but this time after losing the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina. They want to use this disappointment as a catalyst to win the Euro. And it will be hard to bet against them and against Mbappé.
