Speaking at his first press conference as France captain this afternoon, Kylian Mbappé notably discussed his new role and the way in which he reacted to being told he would be Hugo Lloris’ successor by Didier Deschamps on Monday.
The Paris Saint-Germain man first sought to emphasise that he would not be looking to lead alone – “I’ll be a captain who’s looking to others [….] I want to give the others the opportunity to express themselves.”
Mbappé went on to explain that he wouldn’t need to change the way he plays, but potentially the way he carries himself – and that he and Lloris, and the captains who came before them, each had their own individual personalities. When asked about whether the new role would mean taking on more defending duties, the forward insisted that he would track back if the manager asked him to do so.
For the 24-year-old, the captaincy was unexpected, and was not a goal of his before his chat with Deschamps on Monday – “three months ago I wouldn’t have imagined this” – now, he takes to the pitch tomorrow night at the Stade de France with the armband, marking the dawn of a new era for Les Bleus
GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin
