Kylian Mbappe: France forward calls Euro 2024 'a failure' after side's semi-final loss

I had dreams of becoming the champion of Europe, but unfortunately, it did not come to fruition.

Kylian Mbappe, the successful World Cup champion, gave a straightforward opinion. People thought he would lead France in Germany. This summer, he joined Real Madrid, fulfilling his dream for a fee of £190m. He also led France as captain in the Euro 2024 tournament, where fans had high hopes for their team.

However, Mbappe, who scored three goals in the World Cup final two years ago like England legend Sir Geoff Hurst, did not perform as well as we had hoped during France's lackluster tournament, which ended in a semi-final loss to Spain in Munich.

Following the game, the striker labeled the tournament as a "disappointment". What is the reason behind Mbappe's failures? And what is the cause of his difficulties in the European Championships?

Mbappe shined at the World Cup in Russia in 2018 when he was just a teenager. He scored four goals as France became champions for the first time in two decades.

After scoring an amazing eight goals in the 2022 tournament, which included a hat-trick in the final loss to Argentina, he has now matched Pele's record of 12 goals in World Cup tournaments.

However, Mbappe failed to score in Euro 2020, and his penalty miss in the shootout was detrimental as Switzerland eliminated France in the round of 16.

Even though Mbappe was expected to perform well in Germany, he had a tough time and only managed to score a penalty in the 1-1 tie against Poland. As a result, France did not finish on top of their group and had to face tougher opponents in the knockout stage.

Mbappe took nine shots that were on target throughout the tournament, but only managed to create three opportunities for his teammates. One of those opportunities was a fantastic assist for Randal Kolo Muani's first goal against Spain.

Former English defender Rio Ferdinand commented on BBC One that Mbappe was able to deliver an excellent pass, but it was the only moment of excellence in the offensive third that France demonstrated.

"That is inadequate for a game of this size. Mbappe will be upset with his performance in the tournament. It is not up to the usual standard we anticipate from him."

In the World Cup, Mbappe has scored or assisted an average of 1.11 goals per 90 minutes in 14 games, while in the Euros he has only managed 0.32 in nine games.

He had a crucial opportunity in the semi-final towards the end of the game when he managed to get past the Spanish defenders and take a shot, but unfortunately, he leaned back too much and the ball flew over the crossbar.

French soccer specialist Julien Laurens commented on BBC Radio 5 Live that this is a goal he has successfully scored many times throughout his career.

Mbappe missed his opportunity and, at the crucial moment, France was missing some spark.

Mbappe's participation in the tournament was definitely impacted when he injured his nose during the closing minutes of the first match against Austria. This meant he couldn't play in the 0-0 match against the Netherlands, but he made a comeback wearing a protective mask and scored a goal against Poland.

The mask seemed to bother Mbappe, as he was frequently seen adjusting it during multiple games. Eventually, he decided to ditch it completely for the Spain match.

Inquired about whether the injury had hindered his performance, the 25-year-old replied: "It impacted everything."

Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be. It was either a success or a failure. Unfortunately, it was a failure and now we're heading home. It's as straightforward as that.

The team's manager, Didier Deschamps, had previously acknowledged that Mbappe's mask was causing problems during the tournament. However, he stated after the loss on Tuesday night that it was more of a minor annoyance than a major issue.

"I will not favor one player over another when assigning responsibilities," he said.

Once you reach the semi-finals and face a team as talented as Spain, it's important to perform at your highest level. Unfortunately, we fell short in this aspect.

What does the future hold for Mbappe?

After achieving league titles seven times in France with Monaco and Paris St-Germain, his goal now is to win the Champions League next season with Madrid. He will be joining forces with Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, and Rodrygo to create an impressive attacking lineup.

"I will be taking a vacation," Mbappe announced.

"I will take a break to recharge, and then return refreshed and ready to tackle new challenges in a different city with a new manager."

It's your turn now, Carlo Ancelotti.