Kylian Mbappé: “It’s clear I’m the link between the generations.”

New France captain Kylian Mbappé (24) has spoken about his role in bridging the divide between the older and younger generations within Les Bleus’ squad in an exclusive interview with TF1 journalist Saber Desfarges. 

Mbappé was announced as the new France captain last Tuesday. He succeeds Hugo Lloris in the role, who retired from international football in the wake of France’s World Cup campaign in Qatar. The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, as well as leading Les Bleus for the last decade, also became France’s most-capped player of all-time during the tournament last December. 

As exclusively revealed by Get French Football News, Mbappé was always the favourite to inherit the armband, whilst Antoine Griezmann was his main competitor. The latter was appointed vice-captain.

As well as being France’s most talented player, a technical leader, Mbappé’s age is also a pivotal facet of his new role as captain. Whilst there remain many veterans in the side, notably Olivier Giroud (36), there is a new generation that has burst onto the scene, which includes players like Eduardo Camavinga (20). 

Part of Mbappé’s role is therefore to bridge the divide between the generations, a task which he duly accepts. “It’s clear I’m the link between the old and the new generation, but there is no pressure with that. I think that will go very well,” said the Paris Saint-Germain forward. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle