Thanks to goals from Gavi and Olmo, Spain staged a remarkable comeback, defeating France 2-1, and for the first time in 12 years, they advanced to the final of the Euro Cup. With France’s elimination, Mbappe’s dream of winning the Ballon d’Or has been postponed yet again, the €180 million star’s wish unfulfilled.
The 25-year-old Mbappe is at the peak of his career. Before the start of the Euro Cup, following in the footsteps of his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, he officially joined Real Madrid, fulfilling a childhood dream. However, Mbappe’s Euro Cup journey was extremely bumpy. In the opening group stage match against Austria, although he forced an own goal from the opponent, his nose was fractured in a collision, forcing him to play wearing a mask.
It turned out that the mask severely affected Mbappe’s game feel. Before the semi-finals, in four appearances, he only scored one penalty kick. Despite France still advancing to the semifinals, his personal performance fell short of expectations, drawing criticism from veterans Petit and Leboeuf.
The former believed that Mbappe did not deserve the captain’s armband. Four games without a goal in open play meant he had not fulfilled his role as a leader. The latter argued that since Mbappe was not at his best, there was no need to force him onto the field with an injury.
Facing the surging Spanish team, Deschamps dared not take risks, and Mbappe predictably started once again. The prodigy removed his mask, demonstrating his determination to lead the team to qualification.
Just nine minutes into the game, Mbappe displayed his superstar quality, delivering a precise cross from the left side of the box, which Muani met with a header to break the deadlock for France.
Many fans remarked that the unshackled Mbappe was staging a return to form. But nobody expected this to be Mbappe’s sole highlight of the match. After Spain took the lead, he was completely stifled and failed to stage a comeback.
Three years ago, in the Nations League final, Mbappe scored a highly controversial goal to help France overturn Spain 2-1 and lift the trophy. Now on the more significant Euro Cup stage, Mbappe was powerless to save his team, and France suffered a satisfying revenge.
Before the start of the Euro Cup, Mbappe revealed in an interview that from his perspective, the Euro Cup was harder than the World Cup. It now appears that Mbappe was telling the truth. In the past two World Cups, he contributed 12 goals and two assists in 14 appearances, averaging a goal contribution per game, scoring eight goals in eight knockout matches, leading his team to one title and one runner-up finish.
However, in the Euro Cup, Mbappe was a different person. In the 2020 Euro Cup, Mbappe played four games without scoring, and France was knocked out in the round of 16. Now, Mbappe scored one goal in five games, failing to score in open play in nine games, a stark difference. France also failed to reach the final. In the post-match interview, Mbappe seemed to concede defeat, stating outright that this tournament was a failure.
This elimination dealt a significant blow to Mbappe. Why? Last season, while Mbappe won the domestic treble with PSG, he was eliminated in the Champions League semifinals. Now, Mbappe failed to lead France to the title, lacking the weight of major titles means he lags behind Vinicius, Bellingham, and Rodri in the race for the Ballon d’Or.
Fortunately, Mbappe is still in his prime. At 25, he will join Real Madrid next season, with the support of the Galacticos, perhaps he can still realize his dreams of winning the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or in the future.
