Stopped in the Semifinals! Mbappe Loses Again, European Championship Gold Ball Dream Dashed

With goals from Yamal and Olmo, Spain staged a dramatic comeback, defeating France 2-1 to reach the European Championship final for the first time in 12 years. With France’s exit, Mbappe’s dream of winning the Golden Ball has been postponed again, the hopes of the €180 million star dashed.

At 25 years old, Mbappe is undoubtedly at the peak of his powers. Before the European Championship kicked off, he followed in the footsteps of his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, officially joining Real Madrid, fulfilling his childhood dream. However, Mbappe’s European Championship journey has been far from smooth. In the group stage opener against Austria, although he forced an own goal, he suffered a broken nose and had to wear a face mask during the match.

As it turned out, the mask severely impacted Mbappe’s game. Before the semi-finals, he had only scored one penalty in four appearances. Despite France reaching the semi-finals, his individual performance was far from satisfactory, drawing criticism from former players Petit and Leboeuf.

Petit believed that Mbappe didn’t deserve the captain’s armband, as he hadn’t scored a single goal from open play in four matches, implying a failure to fulfill his leadership responsibilities. Leboeuf argued that if Mbappe wasn’t at his best, he shouldn’t have played through the injury.

Faced with a formidable Spanish side, Deschamps opted not to take risks, and Mbappe continued to start without any question. He even removed his mask, displaying his determination to lead the team to victory.

After just nine minutes, Mbappe showcased his superstar quality, sending a precise cross from the left side of the box, allowing Muani to head home and break the deadlock for France.

Many fans expressed excitement, believing that the freed Mbappe had returned to his dominant form. However, no one anticipated that this would be Mbappe’s only highlight of the match. Once Spain took the lead, he was completely shut down and failed to orchestrate a comeback for his team.

Three years ago in the Nations League final, Mbappe scored a highly controversial goal to help France defeat Spain 2-1. Now, on the grander stage of the European Championship, Mbappe was powerless to save his side as France suffered a sweet revenge.

Interestingly, before the European Championship, Mbappe stated in an interview that, from his perspective, the European Championship was tougher than the World Cup. Now, it seems his words were true. In the last two World Cups, he appeared in 14 matches, registering 12 goals and 2 assists, averaging a goal contribution per match. He even scored 8 goals in 8 knockout stage appearances, leading his team to one title and one runner-up finish.

However, Mbappe was a different player in the European Championship. In the 2020 European Championship, Mbappe went goalless in 4 appearances, and France was eliminated in the Round of 16. Now, Mbappe has scored 1 goal in 5 appearances, failing to score from open play in 9 matches, a stark contrast. Consequently, France also failed to reach the final. In his post-match interview, Mbappe seemed to admit defeat, directly stating that this tournament was a failure.

This elimination has dealt a significant blow to Mbappe. Why? Last season, Mbappe won a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain but suffered a semi-final exit in the Champions League. Now, Mbappe has failed to lead France to victory again. The lack of a major trophy means he trails behind Vinicius Jr., Bellingham, and Rodri in the race for the Golden Ball.

Fortunately, Mbappe is still in his prime. At 25 years old, he will be joining Real Madrid next season. With the backing of the Galacticos, he might finally fulfill his Champions League and Golden Ball dreams.