“The way he performed, you would’ve thought he came back from a double leg break” - Paul Merson rates Kylian Mbappe at Euro 2024

Pundit Paul Merson has slammed Kylian Mbappe for his performances at Euro 2024 for France. The Real Madrid attacker failed to make a real impact in the tournament, scoring just one goal from the penalty spot.

However, he did bag a couple of assists as Spain knocked Les Bleus out of the tournament in the semi-final (2-1). After the conclusion of the competition, Merson told Football Greatest's YouTube channel about Mbappe's performances:

"Mbappe broke his nose. (But the way he performed) you would've thought he came back from a double leg break. He never kicked the ball."

Along with Mbappe not firing, France were uninspiring in their style of football at Euro 2024. From the four goals they scored in six matches, only one came from open play, which was Randal Kolo Muani's strike against Spain. Two others were own goals, while the remaining was Mbappe's penalty against Poland.

However, the 25-year-old did suffer from a broken nose early in the tournament, which resulted in him wearing a mask to support the injured part. Regardless, one wouldn't expect such an injury to drastically affect the performance of a player like Mbappe.

He has now joined Real Madrid as they gear up for the start of the 2024/25 season. To date, Mbappe has played 84 matches across competitions for his national team, bagging 48 goals and 35 assists.

Despite being a World Cup winner, he's yet to win the European Championships with France.

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Spain mock Kylian Mbappe as they celebrate Euro 2024 glory

Kylian Mbappe

Spain celebrated their UEFA Euro 2024 victroy back in their country and during the celebrations mocked Kylian Mbappe. While introducing Jesus Navas during these celebrations, one could hear the rest of the team chanting (via GOAL):

"Where is Kylian Mbappe?"

This moment was a nod to Navas dealing with the threat of the Frenchman in the semi-final. Dani Carvajal, who played most of the tournament in that position, was missing for this fixture due to suspension.

As a result, it was Navas and former Real Madrid defender Nacho, who kept the ex-Paris Saint-Germain attacker quiet on the left-hand side. During that tie, a stunning curler from Lamine Yamal gave La Roja an equalizer, while Dani Olmo's neat footwork and strike inside the box was the winner (2-1).

Navas, the 38-year-old veteran has played 56 matches across competitions for Spain, bagging five goals.