‘I’d have to keep playing until I’m 80’ – Kylian Mbappé adresses his critics after leading France to World Cup win against Senegal

In partnership with

Get French Football News

·16 giugno 2026

‘I’d have to keep playing until I’m 80’ – Kylian Mbappé adresses his critics after leading France to World Cup win against Senegal

Immagine dell'articolo:‘I’d have to keep playing until I’m 80’ – Kylian Mbappé adresses his critics after leading France to World Cup win against Senegal

France have kicked off their 2026 World Cup run with a 3-1 win against Senegal in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Tuesday. Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring at the hour mark to go level with Olivier Giroud’s all-time France record of 57 goals. Substitute Bradley Barcola doubled France’s account before Ibrahim Mbaye halved the deficit. Mbappé eventually nudged past Giroud’s tally to restore Les Bleus’ two-goal lead.

Quizzed by M6 if his performance was a response and some kind of a revenge to the criticism he received, Kylian Mbappé rebuffed those claims. “No, it’s not about revenge. If I start playing just to prove all my critics wrong and shut them up, I think I’d have to keep playing until I’m 80.” The Real Madrid centre-forward added that he was only driven by his will to make “France’s history, and to ensure my team reaches the final and wins the World Cup.“