joyous summer of sport during the Olympic Games in Paris. In contrast, Les Bleus have stuttered and stumbled from one mini-crisis to another throughout the year, engendering a kind of malaise – even disgruntlement – of which Kylian Mbappé has become the symbol.
As captain, Mbappé is the face of a side that has flattered to deceive. As early as March, there were “warning signs” according to Mbappé, who denounced “deficient leadership” in a friendly defeat to Germany. Results improved in the summer but the mood would not lift.