Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Didier Deschamps has lashed out at critics who compare Kylian Mbappe to a “dictator”, insisting he could not be happier with the France captain’s leadership.
Mbappe has scored seven goals in five 2026 World Cup matches to lead France to the quarter-finals, with the latest being a decisive penalty against Paraguay in the round of 16.
He now has 19 World Cup goals in total, only one fewer than all-time record holder Lionel Messi, and an astonishing 11 of those efforts have come in the knockout stages.
However, Mbappe still has his detractors, with many suggesting he wields too much power both at Real Madrid and in the France camp.
Social media images have depicted Mbappe in that manner throughout the World Cup, but Deschamps says his true character could not be more different.
“You guys make Kylian Mbappe seem like a dictator… the reality is the opposite,” Deschamps said after France’s 1-0 win over Paraguay.
“His public image does not reflect reality at all. Kylian has always been mature and the whole team follows him.
“I am so happy to have Kylian as captain. Whenever he speaks on and off the pitch, he represents the whole group.”
11 – Since the 2018 tournament, Kylian Mbappé has scored more goals in the knockout stages of the World Cup (11) than…
Brazil (10)
England (10)
Portugal (9)
Spain (4)
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 4, 2026
Mbappe is tied with his former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Messi in the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot race.
Interestingly, they are also the two outfield players that have walked for the highest proportion of their total distance covered at the tournament (minimum 150 minutes played, Messi 47%, Mbappe 45%).
This is the fourth consecutive World Cup at which France have reached at least the quarter-finals (also 2014, 2018 and 2022), with Deschamps in charge for all four editions.
Before this run, they had only reached that stage five times in their World Cup history (in 1938, 1958, 1986, 1998, and 2006).
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