Kylian Mbappe's leadership skills were on show in the France dressing room as he rallied his French troops in the World Cup final.
The PSG star almost completed a one-man rescue mission at the Lusail Stadium but his hat-trick, plus a strike in the shootout, were not enough to lead Les Blues to another global triumph as they were undone by Lionel Messi and Argentina.
Mbappe, named the best young player at the World Cup four years ago, already feels like he's been around for a small lifetime such was his meteoric rise. Not often associated with the traditional leadership qualities, yet it was the 23-year-old who took charge at half-time in the final.
France, who went in as narrow favourites, were outclassed and outplayed by the Argentines in the opening 45. Messi and Angel di Maria struck to put the South Americans in control. French concern was clear when Didier Deschamps made two subs before the interval.
Yet it wasn't the coach, but his star man, who addressed the team at half-time. With his compatriots sat down, Mbappe remained standing as he said: “It's the match of a lifetime, it's every four years. We can't do worse than what we did. We can come back!"
It was the PSG man who led the comeback, despite a largely anonymous opening hour. France gradually improved in the second-half, but it wasn't until a Nicolas Otamendi error handed them a lifeline that the game came to life.
Mbappe scored from the spot and then finished excellently less than 120 seconds later to level a dramatic contest. The French star then rescued his country again with two minutes left of extra-time. His shot was blocked by an arm and he cooly converted from 12 yards - a goal that ensured he picked up the Golden Boot.
The former Monaco man became just the second person to bag a treble in a World Cup final after Geoff Hurst's effort in 1966 for England against West Germany. The Three Lions icon addressed Mbappe after the game: “Many congratulations to Mbappe, whatever happens. I’ve had a great run."
Deschamps confessed that France were not at the races for the first 45 minutes. He told TF1: “We utterly failed to show up in the 1st half. We expected [their intensity], we neither had the correct attitude nor the correct response. It will take a lot to worry them and come back. They played the first half as if it was the World Cup final, we did not.”
Mbappe's hat-trick heroics, although ultimately in vain, mean he's scored 12 goals in 14 games across the two tournaments he's played in. Those figures are identical to Pele and mean, with time firmly on his side, he is only four shy of the all-time record held by Miroslav Klose.
The Frenchman is widely expected to smash that record before his career comes to a close. He and the rest of the Les Blues outfit received a heroes welcome from around 50,000 fans who gathered at the Place de la Concorde in the French capital upon their return.
French president Emmanuel Macron, who was in attendance in Qatar for the final, was seen on the pitch after the penalty shootout consoling Mbappe with the pair involved in a brief exchange. He said after the loss: “We were very far off at the end of the first half. There have already been comebacks like that, but it’s very rare in the history of football. We came back amazingly. What Mbappé and the whole team did is extraordinary."
