There has always been a question mark hanging over Kylian Mbappé when it comes to international football. Brilliant, yes. Devastating on his day, absolutely. But a proper leader who drives a team forward when it matters? That bit has taken a little longer to arrive. Well, it looks like it might finally be here.
What Didier Deschamps has done with this France squad is actually quite clever. He has created an environment where players feel trusted rather than managed within an inch of their lives. That kind of thing sounds simple but plenty of coaches never quite manage it. When players feel secure, they take risks. When they take risks, you get exciting football. And right now, France are producing some genuinely exciting football.
The front four France have put together is the sort of attacking lineup that makes you put your drink down and pay attention. Michael Olise has been a real revelation at this level, and watching him alongside Mbappé, Dembélé and others is the kind of thing that makes you briefly forget your own team's endless transfer sagas. Not that a certain Manchester United fan writing this would know anything about endless transfer sagas, of course.
Mbappé himself looks liberated. There is a difference between a player who is performing and a player who is leading, and he is doing both right now. He is organising, encouraging and carrying responsibility rather than just sprinting in behind and hoping for the best. Deschamps deserves real credit for drawing that out of him because previous tournament campaigns suggested the captaincy weighed heavily on him.
France were always going to be dangerous at this World Cup but the manner in which they are playing suggests something beyond raw talent. There is a collective spirit running through the squad, a sense that everyone is pulling in the same direction. That does not happen by accident and it does not happen without good leadership from the top.
Whether they can go all the way remains to be seen, but right now France look like a team rather than just a collection of superstars. That alone is an improvement worth celebrating.
Let me know your thoughts.