As France enters the 2026 FIFA World Cup as two-time champions, their new captain Kylian Mbappe is making a public commitment to shore up a key gap in his game ahead of the team’s opening group stage match against Senegal on Tuesday. The 27-year-old striker, who completed a high-profile transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid in 2024, has faced mounting criticism in his second season at the Santiago Bernabeu, where the club finished the campaign trophy-less despite his individual success as La Liga’s top goalscorer.
Much of the scrutiny has centered on Mbappe’s limited defensive output, a weakness backed up by official Opta data across Europe’s top five leagues. Among 1,490 players with at least 19 league appearances in the 2025-26 season, Mbappe ranked 1,350th in combined defensive metrics including interceptions, blocks, tackles, and recovered possession. His rate of just 0.14 tackles per 90 minutes placed him in the bottom five of the same ranking. Compounding these on-pitch questions, Mbappe also missed a portion of Real Madrid’s season with a hamstring injury, and the club’s trophy drought fueled growing fan frustration and unconfirmed reports of unrest in the first-team dressing room.
The French star has not been without support in the face of this criticism. His international teammate Ousmane Dembele recently spoke out publicly, arguing that the negative commentary targeting Mbappe has gone “too far”. During a recent interview with French newspaper Le Parisien, where questions were posed by teammates and close friends, Mbappe’s younger brother Ethan – who currently plays for Ligue 1 side Lille – teased the captain over his defensive shortcomings. Rather than pushing back on the critique, Mbappe acknowledged the gap in his game and pledged to improve ahead of the World Cup.
“I need to take the extra step [with my defensive work] because it’s something important for the team and I have to do it,” Mbappe told the outlet. “It will start this time because we want to win, and to win, I’m ready to do whatever because I want to win at all costs.”
For Mbappe, this World Cup carries extra personal milestones beyond the team’s pursuit of a third global title. This is his first tournament as France’s full-time captain, having stepped into the role following Hugo Lloris’ retirement from international football in 2023. Already one of the most prolific goalscorers in World Cup history, with 12 goals in 14 tournament appearances to date – including a historic hat-trick in the 2022 final against Argentina – one more goal will tie him with Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time leading men’s international goalscorer.
After kicking off their group stage campaign against Senegal, Didier Deschamps’ side will face Iraq and Norway in their remaining two pool matches as they look to progress to the knockout rounds of the 2026 World Cup.