Following France’s 2-1 loss to Spain on Tuesday, Kylian Mbappe declared his Euro 2024 campaign a “failure” and insisted he “wasn’t good” at the competition.
After Kolo Muani put France ahead early on, Spain overcame to win in Munich. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and inventive midfielder Dani Olmo scored outstanding goals to secure their team’s spot in Sunday’s championship match.
With an incredible goal from outside the penalty area, Yamal, 16, stole the show for Spain. The team will play England or the Netherlands on Sunday in an attempt to capture their first Euros championship since 2012.
Mbappe acknowledged that he wasn’t at his best in Germany this summer, despite having a fantastic opportunity to tie the score for France at the end of the second half.
Before the upcoming season, the Frenchman, who signed a transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid, stated: “In football, you’re good or not good.” I was not up to par. I failed at my Euro.
‘I wаnted to be European champion. I will now go on holiday, I will rest well, it will do me a lot of good, then I will get ready to start a new life. There’s a lot to do’.
The 25-year-old sensation helped France win the World Cup in 2018 and came dangerously close to retaining the trophy in 2022 before Argentina prevailed on penalties in the championship game.
Following a collision with Austrian defender Kevin Danso in France’s opening match in Germany, Mbappe cracked his nose and had to wear a protective face mask for the most of the tournament.
The attacker, who removed the hat during France’s 2–0 loss to Spain on Tuesday, acknowledged it was ‘affecting his performances’.
He added, “I spoke to the doctor and asked to not play with the mask because I had had enough of it; it was affecting my performances and I couldn’t deal with it anymore.”
Didier Deschamps acknowledged that Kylian Mbappe was ‘off his game’ after France’s close quarterfinal shootout loss to Portugal.
“(Mbappe) came off after 110 minutes because the extra-time was tough for him, like it was tough for everyone,” Deschamps explained when explaining why the attacker was substituted off in the extra period. After suffering a blоw to his nose, Kylian ended the season with a back ailment.
“He hasn’t been playing at his best, but he will still play, and we’ve done everything we can to get Kylian in the right frame of mind for this game.”