Are France a better and happier side without Karim Benzema? Kylian Mbappe certainly shone alongside Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele in a combination Didier Deschamps had not tried for over five years.
It was a little mischievous of Diego Lugano to suggest that the rest of the France squad would be secretly pleased at the withdrawal of the injured Karim Benzema from this World Cup; the Uruguayan claimed he had played with enough French players to know that the Ballon d’Or winner is rather more popular with the football electorate than with his teammates.
Mbappe finished sixth in that Ballon d’Or vote but he will know that relatively lowly ranking owes more to his club and their travails in Europe than his own talent. Had the Frenchman moved to Real Madrid and won the Champions League there, he would likely be crowned the best player in the world. The next best thing would be to dazzle as France’s outstanding talent in another World Cup triumph and this time claim the Golden Ball rather than its younger brother.
But we all know that Giroud is simply keeping the record warm for Mbappe, who has now scored 29 goals for France before the age of 24. For mind-blowing context, Giroud was in his 30s when he reached that particular number., Mbappe issued a warning that this World Cup could belong to a different generation of superstar, who happens to be blessed with teammates worthy of the name.
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