Kylian Mbappe did not leave the 2025/26 season on the best note for Real Madrid, struggling against Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout stages while stumbling through fitness and disciplinary issues as the Royal Whites watched Barcelona go two for two in La Liga titles since Mbappe's arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2024.
But as always, Mbappe saved his best for the French national team, and he has been the Player of the Tournament thus far in the World Cup, even with the other superstars like Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland balling out, too.
The worldwide media is gushing over Mbappe, and he has left the stench of the 2025/26 season fully behind him, showing a level of confidence and maturity as the leading man for Les Bleus that was totally missing at Real Madrid these last two seasons.
Kylian Mbappe is Mr. World Cup
English pundit and former Manchester United fullback Gary Neville can sense this, and he made a big proclamation on The Overlap podcast, "The World Cup is Mbappe's tournament. He will win it for France."
There is nothing necessarily bold about proclaiming France and Kylian Mbappe the victors after he already won it once in 2018 and then came agonizingly close to carrying his country to triumph again in 2022.
But for Real Madrid fans, it is uplifting to see the narrative around Mbappe back to being a positive one. The problems of throwing Alvaro Arbeloa under the bus after Real Oviedo are not fully forgotten, nor are the ills of the Champions League, especially since his former club PSG have blossomed in the competition without him.
That being said, this summer's World Cup has reminded fans at Real Madrid and around the world of exactly what Mbappe is capable of when he is in full flow, and it really does feel like this is his tournament with the quality of the goals he is making and the way the French national team is playing for him.
There is a more united character around Mbappe for France than there is at Real Madrid. Despite the narrative, Vinicius Junior does a lot to help Mbappe, as does Arda Guler. But on France, there is a whole XI of players working for him, including stars as big as Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise.
Gary Neville is echoing the sentiments of so many who are watching Mbappe's runs off the ball, finishes, and ever present sense of danger. The body language is that of a "dictator" in full command and respect, and he knows this is his chance to turn the narrative back onto his pitch.
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