The day Kylian Mbappe was announced as France captain was in March 2023. The night he earned the armband, however, may have come three months earlier, on a different continent, with the World Cup at stake. Mbappe can appear as a languid figure, sleekly strolling around the pitch before gliding through the gears and reaching speeds few can rival. Yet there is video footage of Mbappe the motivator, galvanising France after a no-show performance in the first half in Lusail.
“It’s the match of a lifetime,” he said. “We can’t do worse than we did.” Mbappe certainly succeeded in galvanising himself. The match of his lifetime proved one no one else has ever had in their lifetime, either. He emulated Geoff Hurst by scoring a World Cup final hat-trick. He found the net four times, however, in the respect that he also struck in the resulting penalty shootout. France still lost. Mbappe may have the bittersweet distinction of producing the greatest performance in a World Cup final defeat.
