Aurélien Tchouaméni praises Kylian Mbappé after first match as France captain | OneFootball

Appearing in the mixed zone in the wake of France’s 4-0 rout of The Netherlands, midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni notably highlighted Kylian Mbappé’s impressive first outing as captain, with the PSG forward grabbing a brace and an assist.

“He was great from start to finish. He combined with his teammates, he scored goals, he defended, he helped us as he always does.”

His remarks transcribed in RMC, the Real Madrid man was reluctant to reveal exactly what the new skipper said to his teammates in the dressing room before the game:

“I can’t tell you everything! He asked everyone to have the same state of mind, to show a defiant spirit.”

Tchouaméni also highlighted that despite the lack of usual starters at Ronald Koeman’s disposal tonight, beating The Netherlands is no small feat – “weakened or not, they’re still the sixth best team in the world and we owed it to ourselves to get the job done.”

France’s new generation – led by their new captain, and now the fifth all-time top scorer in the national team’s history – kicked off the new era in style at the Stade de France. They now travel to Dublin to face Ireland on Monday for the second game of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, already sitting atop Group B after tonight’s complete performance.

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin