Mbappé, a fusion of ambition and struggle

Written by Nan Nan On June 16, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the World Cup Group I opener featured France against Senegal. At halftime, the score was still 0-0, but France's stats betrayed a lopsided reality: they were outshot 1-5, with an expected goals figure of merely 0.02. Mbappé, the team's linchpin, had 14 touches—fewest on the squad—failed all three take-ons, lost possession seven times, and took no shots. The on-field display was even more dismal than the numbers suggested. In the 4th minute, Rabiot's long ball found Mbappé, who mishandled the control; in the 12th, Dembélé threaded a through ball to Mbappé's feet, only for him to miscontrol it again. As the halftime whistle blew, a stoic Mbappé trudged back to the dressing room with his head down.

The second half followed a similar pattern. In the 57th minute, Mbappé squandered a one-on-one chance. A minute later, he was brought down in the right side of the box, but the referee waved away penalty appeals. Everyone assumed that would be it for Mbappé—until the 66th minute. Olise delivered a through ball from the right flank, Mbappé latched onto it, turned, and fired a low shot to break the deadlock. In the 7th minute of stoppage time, Mbappé collected the ball at the edge of the arc, glanced at goal, and quickly struck it. The ball flew into the gap between the crossbar and the goalkeeper's left arm, extinguishing all remaining suspense.

Scoring a brace in a World Cup match is hardly a big deal for a 27-year-old Mbappé; his previous World Cup appearance saw him net a hat trick—in the final. This marks his third World Cup, and he has found the net in every edition. After defeating Senegal, Mbappé reached 58 international goals, surpassing Giroud to become France's all-time top scorer. It was also his 99th national team appearance and his 15th goal in major tournaments, surpassing Platini to claim the top spot for France as well. His total of 14 World Cup goals ties him for third in history, with only three names ahead: Ronaldo, Klose, and Messi. "I'm very happy to have set some records for the national team," he said calmly, his face still betraying little emotion.

Born in December 1998, Mbappé is only 27 years old. He trails Klose and Messi by just two goals—though Messi may still add to his tally. In theory, the record for the all-time World Cup top scorer is destined for him. Time is the witness: Messi needed six World Cups to reach 16 goals; Mbappé has done it in just three.

Yet there is a subtle contrast between the numbers and his form. The Mbappé who had zero shots and lost possession seven times in the first half is the same one who is about to be crowned the nation's top scorer. Deschamps defended him after the match: "I don't understand why people criticize Mbappé. His job is to score, and he did." French media's assessment was blunt: "France didn't play well, but France still won."

He can vanish for the first 66 minutes, then rewrite history with two goals in the next 24—a split that mirrors his duality at Real Madrid versus with France, though at Madrid this dichotomy has been magnified a thousandfold. In the 2025/26 season, Mbappé made 44 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid, scoring 42 goals and providing 7 assists. He won the La Liga top scorer award with 25 goals and the Champions League top scorer title with 15, earning his second consecutive season as the club's Player of the Year. His individual stats were impeccable.

But Real Madrid went trophyless for two straight seasons. When he was at Paris Saint-Germain, they couldn't win the Champions League; after he left, they claimed the European crown two years running. At Madrid, he scores prolifically but wins nothing. An online petition demanding his departure garnered 43 million signatures in just four days. A photo of him vacationing in Sardinia with his girlfriend while injured sparked outrage in the dressing room and among fans. Spanish TV network La Sexta reported that in 2026, Real Madrid won only 7 of the 14 matches Mbappé started; in the 13 matches he didn't start, they won 10. These figures point to a phenomenon: Real Madrid with Mbappé seems to lose its winning DNA. It's not solely Mbappé's fault, but all fingers point at him.

In moving to Real Madrid, Mbappé isn't just chasing records. He's chasing a position he believes is rightfully his—World Cup all-time top scorer, Champions League winner, Ballon d'Or winner. In theory, all these should be his, but for now, aside from national team honors, he has nothing.

Mbappé's issue isn't form—it's positioning. For France, he is the captain, the tactical focal point, and the first-choice penalty taker. Dembélé and Olise serve him; the entire team revolves around him. He doesn't adapt to anyone; others adapt to him. Deschamps once said, "He is the greatest striker in French history, capable of turning the game around." That sentence encapsulates France's logic.

At Real Madrid, it's a completely different story. He wants the left wing, but Vinícius occupies it, so Mbappé plays as a No. 9. Benzema said back in 2024: "Mbappé is not a center-forward; even at No. 9 for France he hasn't performed well enough. At Real Madrid, there's already another player of his caliber on the left." Benzema spent over a decade at Madrid and knows what kind of striker the club needs—he may not be right, but he voices the thoughts of many in the dressing room.

Spanish media have revealed that the power struggle between Vinícius and Mbappé for the status of Real Madrid's top star has influenced the team's trajectory over the past two years. Mbappé has accepted that he cannot play his preferred position, but his acceptance is reluctant. Cadena SER reported, "Mbappé has never truly integrated into Real Madrid." Roncero was even harsher: "He claims joining Madrid was a childhood dream, but he has never truly resonated with the club's soul."

The numbers also speak. In the 2025/26 La Liga season, a statistic tracking players' willingness to actively engage in defensive actions ranked Mbappé dead last among all 461 players who appeared—averaging just about 0.6 defensive actions per match. It's not that he refuses to defend; it's that the concept of 'defending' simply doesn't exist in his game logic. This habit is protected in the French setup—Deschamps is willing to cover for him—but at Madrid, it becomes a fatal flaw.

Deschamps once said of Mbappé, "People say he doesn't defend, but he's not here to defend." In the French context, that statement is a defense; at Real Madrid, it becomes a problem. The same sentence carries entirely different meanings in two different contexts—and that, perhaps, is Mbappé's current predicament.

A more subtle shift is underway. In the 2025 Ballon d'Or voting, Mbappé finished seventh. A year earlier, he had been PSG's top star; a year later, Dembélé lifted the Ballon d'Or in Paris. For the 2026 Ballon d'Or, Dembélé remains the front-runner—unless Mbappé keeps scoring at the World Cup, Dembélé's lead will only grow.

Mbappé and Dembélé are teammates for France, but rivals on the road to the Ballon d'Or. In the World Cup opener, Dembélé had a subdued performance. Former French international Dhorasoo said, "Dembélé will never have a system built around him in the French team." That comment illuminates the power dynamics in French football: Mbappé is still the core, but it also signals that Mbappé is being chased.

Xinhua News Agency, in a commentary on the "Mbappé dilemma," wrote: "It's as if in the modern football world, there is an invisible passing lane that always finds Mbappé's feet—even when he's not on the pitch." Behind this sentence lies a real problem: the expectations placed on Mbappé exceed what a striker should bear. French football has molded him into a symbol. A symbol doesn't need to integrate into a dressing room, doesn't need to defend, doesn't need to find his place at Real Madrid—a symbol merely needs to exist and score. Yet clearly, Mbappé is not a symbol; he is a real person. Symbols don't feel anxiety, but people do—Mbappé is using that expressionless face to mask all his anxiety.

Perhaps Mbappé can equal or surpass Klose (or Messi) at this World Cup in North America. At 27, he still has eight to ten years left in his career; all future records may belong to him. But then what? A mere chaser will eventually find nothing at the finish line. Dembélé's sudden emergence is like an urgent problem Mbappé must face: records can be chased slowly, but the Ballon d'Or won't wait for him. He can take two more World Cups to surpass everyone, but missing the Ballon d'Or means losing a year each time. If World Cup records are the finish line, then the Ballon d'Or is the timer—and the timer won't wait.

In an exclusive interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Mbappé said: "Seeking revenge-style vindication is pointless. If I played just to prove critics wrong, I'd have to play until I'm 80. I take the pitch only to write France's football history, to lead the team to the final and lift the World Cup." After the first match, he put it more simply: "I never come to the national team to break records—I come to help the team." He avoids mentioning records or the Ballon d'Or, deliberately downplaying personal honors, but he knows that those in the stands and outside the stadium think otherwise.

As he walked off the pitch, he still wore that unreadable expression. It was the same face when he had zero shots in the first half and the same when he scored a brace in the second. During his goal celebration, he mimicked playing the flute—a promise he made to James Corden on a show in May, which he'd practiced for a year or two. He remembered, he did it, but that face still showed little emotion.

To many, that was the same face when he won the World Cup in 2018 and when he lost the 2022 final. After journeys from Monaco to Paris, from Russia to North America, perhaps people finally realize—it's not a cold mask, but his inability to cope with the division within him.

He is France's absolute core and future record holder, but also Real Madrid's disappointed figure. He chases Messi, only to glance back and find Dembélé looming—not over the World Cup, but over the Ballon d'Or. Ambition and struggle coexist within Mbappé.

A man whom everyone believes will one day have everything is enduring the torment of "not having it yet." Mbappé has two faces: one etched with the determination to chase, the other with restless anxiety.