The PSG striker will carry the burden of the national team at the World Cup after Benzema’s injury
France begin the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday against Australia, but they will have to do without Benzema, who has been ruled out through injury.
Without the Ballon d’Or winner not available, it means that the main burden of the team will fall on Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.
In Mbappe’s case, the PSG forward came with the same notoriety as Lionel Messi and Neymar, who have had a very good season so far. The same can be said for the Frenchman, who has scored 12 goals in Ligue 1 and seven in the Champions League.
However, PSG believe he can offer even more. At least that’s what Luis Campos says, who is a football advisor to the French national team. The pair know each other very well from their time in Monaco, when Mbappe started his career and made a name for himself, before joining PSG.
“Mbappe is still at 40 or 50 percent of his potential,” Campos said while speaking to media in Portugal. “I tell him this every day. He can give even more because he is a player who has yet to complete his development process.”
Mbappe, who has been playing at the highest level for seven seasons, is still 23 years old. Despite this, he can now win his second World Cup, something he achieved in 2018.
“There is a speed of maturity, which means that not everyone evolves at the same speed,” says Campos.
“Mbappe at the age of 16 had developed at all levels. Physically, he was very strong and understood the game like a 26-year-old player.”