Paraguay did their best to emulate Jorge Bordalas's worst inclinations, but the superstars of the French national team were able to get the last laugh despite admittedly not having their best day. Kylian Mbappe scored cooly from the spot, just like his idol Cristiano Ronaldo did for Portugal in their win over Croatia, to sink the underdogs, and many fans around the world were impressed with his composure against the antics of the Paraguay side.
Throughout this 2026 World Cup, Mbappe has been in insane form, rebounding strongly from a poor final months of the 2025/26 season with Real Madrid. His seven goals have him tied with fellow superstars Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race, and he looks far happier and more confident as a leader.
Didier Deschamps, who bowed to Mbappe earlier in the tournament, has been full of praise for his long time star, and he is an especially big fan of the Frenchman's attitude. And for the life of him, he cannot understand why there are "Dictator" memes or why Mbappe's behavior has been criticized so heavily in the Spanish capital.
Didier Deschamps fully backs Kylian Mbappe
The French national team legend and former midfielder said of Kylian Mbappe, via Fabrizio Romano, You guys make Kylian Mbappe seem like a dictator… the reality is the opposite. His public image does not reflect reality at all. Kylian has always been mature and the whole team follows him. I am so happy to have Kylian as captain. Whenever he speaks on and off the pitch, he represents the whole group."
Those are incredibly kind words of praise from Didier Deschamps for Mbappe, and Real Madrid fans will actually be reassured by them, rather than angered that the manager - whom they have always disliked for his treatment of Karim Benzema and for taking the job Zinedine Zidane should have gotten sooner - called them out.
Because all Real Madrid want to do is see Mbappe succeed at the Santiago Bernabeu and grow into his own as a true superstar and larger than life figure. They want him to be their Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, or Benzema - a striker who scores, leads, and wins.
If Mbappe has truly figured that out for France at the World Cup and simply needs a manager of the stature of Jose Mourinho for it to click, then that is all Madridistas want. But for their own team, all they have seen is the same problems that plagued PSG, who have been, as Luis Enrique predicted, better without him. And until they see this same behavior from Mbappe in Madrid, Madridistas will remain skeptical.
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