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French journalist Daniel Riolo was critical of Les Bleus captain Kylian Mbappe following his performances against Germany and Chile in the past week. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star failed to find the net in either of his appearances for his country as they struggled in both friendlies.
Mbappe has been in the news very much lately, having announced his decision to leave PSG once his contract expires at the end of the season. The forward has, however, been in fine form for the side, characterized by his hat-trick against Montpellier just before the international break.
Kylian Mbappe started both games for a France side that looked devoid of its usual quality, as they bowed with a whimper against Germany and struggled against Chile. The 25-year-old did not score, only recording an assist in the 3-2 win over the South Americans on Tuesday.
Riolo of RMC Sport kept a close eye on proceedings, and he was not impressed with Mbappe's performance in the game. The journalist accused the PSG man of having put out lousy performances in both games, stating that he ghosted in both matches.
“In the French team, it doesn’t happen that he isn’t motivated two games in a rowe," Riolo said. "He's there, he goes through the match like a ghost, it's not normal, it's even embarrassing, he can't do that. If he comes to the France team, it's to play, especially if it's from the 1st to the 90th, he has no right to be a ghost, not him.
"He is captain, he must perform well. In these cases he can ask to play a match in two or he can play both matches but he is bad in both matches. I don't like it at all, these two matches are not good. He missed everything. His press conferences were excellent, his performances lousy."
Mbappe has been in fine form for PSG this season despite the cloud of his exit hanging over his head. The former AS Monaco man has contributed 38 goals in only 37 appearances for Les Parisiens this season.
Kylian Mbappe closes in on further Les Bleus history
Kylian Mbappe became France's second highest assists provider following his assist for Youssouf Fofana against Chile. The PSG man is only three assists behind the record held by Antoine Griezmann, and has the same number of assists as Thierry Henry.
The forward is also third in the list of his country's best-ever goalscorers, behind Olivier Giroud and Thierry Henry. Giroud added another to his international tally to move onto 57 goals for his country, a tally Mbappe is expected to hunt down soon.
Kylian Mbappe will captain France at the Euros in the summer, and will be eager to add the trophy to his vast collection. With the quality possessed by the side across all positions, they remain favourites to win the tournament.
