“It feels strange to be speaking as though I’m one of the old guys, even though I’m not,” Kylian Mbappé said while on France duty this week. As he wraps up his third year as captain and closes in on a century of appearances, the 27-year-old forward seems to have finally grown comfortable in his position as the team’s leader.
“Nowadays, I fully realise the role the coach and my teammates are expecting me to have,” Mbappé said. “I was the star of the team in 2022 and in that position everyone concentrates on you and wants to look after you. Now, it’s the opposite. I’m the one who has to look after the others. Some of them were still kids when I was turning professional.”
