Emmanuel Petit: Mbappe needs to have a good Euro 2024 for France to have a good Euro 2024

Former France midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes Kylian Mbappe needs to excel if his nation are to win Euro 2024.

Speaking exclusively to BetMGM, the 2000 European Championship winner said: “ Mbappe has to have a good tournament for France to have a good tournament - that’s how important he is. If you want to win big tournaments, your best players have to perform and Mbappe is the one they can’t afford to go missing.

“If he isn’t performing, it filters down to his teammates and confidence will suffer. Didier Deschamps has created a team that means Mbappe can be as influential as possible so in order for it to work, he needs to be on top-form - it’s as simple as that.”

Mbappe has all the tools to be a French great

Petit discussed Mbappe further and having played with some of the greats of the French game, he believes the 25-year-old has all the attributes required to be talked alongside them.

“We’re very lucky in France to have had some world class players and Kylian has all the tools to be one of them, if not better,” he said. “You have just to look at those goals he scored against Argentina and Croatia in recent major tournaments for evidence of that. He was a ghost on the pitch for much of those matches, but he decided it was his time to show the world what he is capable of.

“I wouldn’t want to compare him to the likes of Zinedine Zidane because they are very different players but also Mbappe hasn’t got to the level of admiration that Zidane had, particularly in France. That’s why winning this Euros is so important for him because those world class players deliver when it really matters, and in doing that, they win those big trophies.”

Real Madrid a different challenge to PSG

Mbappe recently announced he will join Real Madrid next season, and Petit has warned his fellow Frenchman that it will be a whole new challenge to the one he experienced at PSG.

“Make no mistake, Real Madrid is a whole new challenge. They are the biggest club in the world and the pressure that comes with that is enormous. He will know that, though, and I expect he’ll thrive for it.

When you’re the top man at PSG, there isn’t that pressure, but at Madrid it only takes one below-par performance and they turn on you.

“The move to Real Madrid will be really good for him, though, and I’m happy the whole media circus is over. I don’t think PSG treated him very well and that can’t be very good for him. It was a bad image and I think a fresh start is what was required.”

France the side to beat at Euro 2024

Finally, the 66-cap France international discussed his nation’s chances at Euro 2024 and feels they are very much the side to beat.

Petit said: “We know that we’re the team to beat. France have done very well in recent major tournaments and based on that I think they’re the right favourites.

“There certainly is the quality in the squad as well as the experience of playing in these big games, it’s just a matter of going out and executing it. I actually think winning a Euros is harder to do than a World Cup because it’s a more competitive tournament with so many countries capable of winning it.

“That defeat against Switzerland in the last Euros was a shambles and the way they went out wasn’t good enough for a team with so many good players. They need to bounce back in this tournament to prove it to themselves but also to the French fans they can do it when it really matters.”

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