French national team striker Kylian Mbappe came to the defense of Ousmane Dembele, who, after the opening match of the 2026 World Cup against Senegal, faced criticism from fans and experts.

The leader of the French team highly appreciated the work of his partner and said that Dembele himself was the most exciting player in the attacking line in the first half of the match.

" And I can say that in the first half, Usman was the shortest of our attacking four. He was most seen in attack.

Usman of all respects, vin of the Golden Ball, they trust and respect him. I hope that we will progress [at the world championship]. I think he will become a key driver for us. I don’t doubt it,” said Mbappe.

Guess what, in the first round of the group stage of the Emergency 2026, the French team beat Senegal with a score of 3:1.