Real Madrid’s star forward Kylian Mbappe has found himself under intense scrutiny from former French international and World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry, Soccernet.football reports.
Dugarry, who starred for Barcelona and Milan during his playing career, has branded his French compatriot as “mediocre” despite his impressive statistics.
Mbappe, currently on international duty with France, has enjoyed a strong start to the season in terms of goal-scoring, but Dugarry insists that the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Dugarry acknowledged Mbappe’s early-season success but questioned the overall quality of his performances.
“It’s a successful start to the season, he scored in the first game, he just scored a brace; if you stick strictly to the statistics, it’s a success,” Dugarry stated.
However, he quickly added that both Mbappe and his team need to improve significantly. “He’s there to score goals. Then, in the game, he and his team have to be much better.”
Dugarry did not hold back in his critique, describing Mbappe’s overall play as “mediocre and insufficient” for several months, not just with Real Madrid but also with the French national team and during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.
“Mbappe, despite important statistics and goals, has been mediocre and insufficient in the game for a long, long time. For several months now, whether with the French national team, with Paris Saint-Germain, or currently at Madrid.”
The former World Cup winner emphasised that Mbappe has areas that require improvement, particularly in his role as an attacker.
“He needs to improve as an attacker,” Dugarry stressed. “He is making less and less of a difference and needs to question himself. He will have to progress in his game.”
Dugarry also pointed out the technical limitations in Mbappe’s game, highlighting how they have become more apparent when compared to his Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jr. “We know that he is not in the top 10 of the most technical players. And today his limits are evident with a player like Vinicius at his side.”
Dugarry was a member of the France team that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.