France captain Kylian Mbappé is leading an exciting new generation

I t seems like only yesterday that Kylian Mbappé was a fresh-faced teenager, his knee slides propelling Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and a place in the Champions League semi-finals. He is now 24, a Paris Saint-Germain player and the captain of France. Is this a new era for Didier Deschamps’ side or is it just a reminder of how quickly time moves as one ages? On the evidence of France’s two wins in the international break – 4-0 over the Netherlands and 1-0 over the Republic of Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifying – the evidence points to the former.

The current France side bear little resemblance to the one that became world champions in 2018 and, after a raft of international retirements (Raphäel Varane, Steve Mandanda, Karim Benzema, the captain Hugo Lloris), one can even make the case that they have little in common with the team that lost the World Cup final in December – save Mbappé, the evergreen Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud. Some of this is circumstantial, with injuries waylaying the careers of the erstwhile midfield linchpins Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté, as well as the defender Presnel Kimpembe. But, more than ever, an incredible generation of footballers is coalescing around Mbappé, who looks very happy to take on the mantle of captain.

It would have been easy for Mbappé to ease up in these matches. He will have been frustrated by PSG’s elimination from the Champions League (and Coupe de France) but, rather than let up on the throttle, he instead showed all the more determination to succeed with his country, a firm riposte to anyone who thought Adrien Rabiot or Griezmann might have been a better choice to take the armband from Lloris.

Mbappé, who played on the left of a 4-2-3-1, led his team out at the Stade