World Cup: Mbappe the leader chasing the trophy again, not just golden boot

Kylian Mbappe clearly hasn’t forgotten the night of 18 December, 2022 at the Lusail Stadium in Doha in a hurry. A hattrick by the Frenchman, only the second in a World Cup final after Geoff Hurst, was not enough to fetch the Les Bleus their back-to-back crown but he is keen on a redemption this time.

 If that means giving the peerless Leo Messi a run for his money in the Golden Boots chase, so be it. The double against Sweden on Tuesday, which saw Mbappe’s France overcome the last 32 hurdle in a canter, has how tied him with the Argentine great (six goals each) but then his priorities seem to have changed this time around. The captain’s armband, which Didier Deschamps bestowed on him in early 2023, now drives his relentless hunger to win the showpiece again more than anything else.      

“I’m very aware of who I am, how I play, what I shall do but it’s not just about me,” Mbappé said through a translator after the game at the New York New Jersey Stadium. “The entire team is aware of what should be done. It is a new competition that has started today. We did play well, but we were timid. We could have done better at the beginning’’ he said – sounding every inch a captain in charge of several galacticos from the world of club football.

 They say that the peak period of a professional footballer is between 25 and 30 years – the biggest example being Diego Maradona when he made the 1986 World Cup his own.  Not everyone can be a Messi to win it at 35 and that too, in his fifth appearance. Mbappe may be just in that age bracket now at 27 but then, he has already been there and done that in terms of a World Cup. He lifted his first trophy as an 18-year-old in Russia 2018, a silver medal four years later and is looking for a final push as the ongoing championship has entered the business-end – the prospects are simply scary.

 The ‘relentless hunger,’ which Mbappe has pledged to win titles – be it the World Cup or with Real Madrid ahead of 2025-26 season – marks a period of quiet transition from a prolonged phase of self doubt and danger of losing his mojo between 2023 and 2024. The period came soon after his stellar show in back-to-back World Cups when constant comparisons with Messi and Neymar led a period of performance anxiety in him.   

 Psychologists often discuss this as the superhero syndrome in young athletes — an expectation to deliver extraordinary performances day in and day out. This pressure, compounded by constant media scrutiny, can lead to burnout and Mbappé’s frustration became public when he criticised his positioning under PSG coach Christophe Galtier in 2022’s infamous remarks. Feeling under-utilised as a lone striker, he expressed dissatisfaction with being a “stepping stone” for teammates rather than the dynamic player attacking space where he thrived.

His move to Real Madrid in the summer window of 2024 on a free transfer did not really bring a magical transformation overnight but then, Mbappe seems to have worked hard to reorient his goals for this season. While the Los Blancos failed to win a major trophy, resulting in no Spanish player from the club with a storied history making it to their national team this time, but a leaner Mbappe is back on the pitch with the infectious energy and smile.

 Reports say that he has shed six kgs in preparation for the season – the weight loss helping him regain the explosive acceleration that he was known for and muscle mass. The goals too have come back and after Tuesday, he has overtaken Mirolsav Klose’s landmark of 16 goals across World Cups and is just one shy of Messi’s record 19 goals from six Cup appearances. Another significant scoring feat which came his way was that he overhauled Brazilian Ronaldo to be the highest scorer in knockout stages of the World Cup with 10 goals – a testimony to the player’s big match temperament.

 The goals will keep coming but what stood out last night was the way star’s mindset had possibly shifted from individual stardom to selfless captaincy. After completing the thrashing of Sweden where Mbappe scored a double, he chose to forego his standard celebration and ran to embrace manager Didier Deschamps to support him through a difficult personal bereavement.

 Looking ahead, Mbappe said: ‘’Messi will score, but I want the trophy.’’ Norway, their opponents in last 16, better watch out.