Overview
- Mbappé said in a Le Parisien interview on Monday that he must "take another step forward defensively" and vowed to increase his off‑ball work as France's captain.
- He will lead Les Bleus in their Group I opener against Senegal at MetLife Stadium with a renewed defensive focus intended to help the team across the group stage.
- Opta figures cited by coverage place Mbappé very low for combined defensive actions in Europe's top five leagues, with an average of 0.14 tackles per 90 minutes used to quantify the shortfall he aims to close.
- Team‑mate Ousmane Dembélé publicly defended Mbappé against what he called excessive criticism and Arsène Wenger argued the forward was unfairly targeted after a testing season at Real Madrid.
- Mbappé's pledge follows a hamstring‑hit, trophyless 2025–26 club campaign and matters beyond form because he sits on 12 World Cup goals and France face a post‑tournament coaching transition that raises the stakes for a strong 2026 showing.