Arsenal legend Robert Pires has warned the rest of Europe that an ‘angry’ France skipper Kylian Mbappe is ready to take his game to a new level this summer.
Mbappe will captain Les Bleus at Euro 2024 in Germany this summer, with the French one of the favourites to lift the trophy on July 14, as Didier Deschamp’s men look to get over their crushing 2022 World Cup final defeat to Argentina on penalties.
That match saw Kylian Mbappe score only the second World Cup final hat-trick in history, with the 25-year-old also dispatching his spot-kick in the shootout.
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With that defeat, plus his disappointing Euro 2020 campaign fresh in the memory, Pires believes we will see the new Real Madrid star hit new heights.
“He’s angry now,” Pires tells FourFourTwo. “He’s motivated after Euro 2020 and the World Cup, and now he’s captain. He’s very similar to Thierry Henry – not just as a player but he has that spirit, that winning mentality.
“He can be a real leader for France, with Antoine Griezmann, but Mbappe drives the team in a different way. You need those players on the field. The combination of Griezmann, Mbappe and Olivier Giroud can make a big impact in Germany.”
Mbappe heads into the tournament having confirmed his long-awaited move to Real Madrid last week as his seven-year stay at Paris Saint-Germain comes to an end with a free transfer departure.
France kick off their campaign on Monday night against Austria, before completing their Group D schedule against the Netherlands and Poland.
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