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For the first time at this year’s World Cup, Kylian Mbappé represented France in their pre-match press conference as the team prepared for their second group stage clash against Iraq.

The French captain, who began his summer campaign with a brace against Senegal last week, mainly fielded questions regarding the dynamic attacking line he now leads. While Mbappé is currently France’s first-choice striker, he stressed his flexibility across the frontline.

“I’m feeling good, both physically and mentally. I’ve played one World Cup on the right wing, another on the left, and now I’m starting as a centre-forward. This shows that my position on the pitch isn’t the most crucial thing — what matters more is the combination of players around me, how we attack and defend collectively, and the nature of our opponents,” he explained.

France’s all-time leading goal scorer also came to the defence of Ousmane Dembélé, who faced criticism for his display against Senegal. “I watched the match twice — once alone and then with the coaching staff. In my view, he was the best performer among our four attacking players in the first half,” Mbappé said. “He was the one who helped make our attacking movements more fluid.”

He went on to highlight Dembélé’s off-the-ball contribution. “In the second half, Michael [Olise] and I made the decisive contributions, but Ousmane also played his part. On the first goal, Michael could make the pass because Ousmane drew Niakhaté out of position, allowing me to move into the open space. That kind of work doesn’t show up in the statistics, but it’s equally vital,” Mbappé added.

Mbappé further emphasised Dembélé’s calmness and importance to the squad. “He’s very composed about the situation. He’s the current Ballon d’Or holder and enjoys the complete trust of both the team and the coaching staff. He’s a very important player for us. He’s been part of the national setup for many years, understands the system well, and I’m confident he’ll keep progressing tomorrow. Let’s not forget he was recovering from an injury at the end of the season,” the French captain concluded.

— Reporting by Raphaël Jucobin from Philadelphia