'Too selfish!' - France legend claims Mbappe is 'not a leader'

Kylian Mbappe France 2026

France legend Frank Leboeuf has delivered a scathing assessment of Kylian Mbappe’s leadership credentials as Les Bleus look ahead to the 2026 World Cup. The 1998 world champion believes the Real Madrid superstar is "too selfish" to captain the national side to glory in North America this summer.

'Doesn't align with my values'

Mbappe may be the undisputed face of French football, but Leboeuf remains unconvinced by the forward's ability to inspire those around him. The former Chelsea and France defender, who lifted the World Cup on home soil in 1998, believes Mbappe’s individualistic mindset prevents him from being a natural leader for Didier Deschamps' side.

"No, Kylian Mbappe is not a leader for me because he's too selfish in his thoughts, in the way he thinks," Leboeuf told SportsBoom. "I don't know him. I met him only once when he was with the national team, and he was playing for Paris Saint-Germain, having just signed for Paris Saint-Germain at the time. Again, he's a great lad, well-educated, but his thinking, his way of thinking about football, doesn't align with my values of the game."

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Alternative captaincy options for Les Bleus

While Mbappe currently wears the armband, Leboeuf suggested that other members of the squad possess the self-sacrificing traits necessary for the role. The 58-year-old pointed towards Arsenal’s William Saliba and veteran midfielder N'Golo Kante as players who naturally put the team’s needs ahead of their own individual glory.

"That's why I like people like William Saliba and N’Golo Kante, players like that who are ready to sacrifice for the team," Leboeuf explained. "That's the difference for me, and that's what counts for me the most. Antoine Griezmann, as well, was a real leader in terms of the way he was playing and the way he was thinking about football. I liked Ousmane Dembélé's comment, saying that if I don't track back, the coach won't put me in, and that's the reality of football. Mbappé is a superstar, but he's not the best teammate in the world; that's my problem."

Comparing the generations of 1998 and 2026

Leboeuf compared the current crop of talent to the legendary 1998 squad that featured Zinedine Zidane and Deschamps. While he feels the modern era possesses more firepower, he maintains that the defensive solidity of his generation remains the benchmark for success.

He said: "It's hard to compare generations. Football is different; refereeing is different. Even the ball itself is different, so it's hard. But it's crazy to say this, but I think offensively they're better than us. I mean, defensively, we were stronger. But it was teamwork; that's the thing. Even in 1998, we finished as the best team, scoring, I think, 15 or 16 goals during the World Cup, and considering only one or two, maybe. It's the overall aspect of the game that we solved, and that's going to be the main concern. I think offensively, they won't have any problems scoring goals. To keep a clean sheet, that's going to be harder for them."

Real Madrid CF v Athletic Club - LaLiga EA Sports

Mbappe's paradoxical season

Mbappe experienced a paradox of a season at Real Madrid, where his staggering individual achievements stand in stark contrast to his team's collective failure. While the 27-year-old has been crowned Real Madrid’s Player of the Season for the second consecutive year following a prolific individual campaign, his remarkable goalscoring exploits have been heavily overshadowed by intense unrest at the Santiago Bernabeu, with supporters directing widespread frustration towards their own stars amidst another season with no major honours.

The Frenchman's individual dominance remains unquestionable, finishing as La Liga's top scorer with 25 goals to claim the golden boot for the second consecutive year while also leading the Champions League charts with 15 strikes. Across all competitions, the forward proved decisive in registering 42 goals and seven assists in just 44 matches. Since his free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, he has amassed an incredible 86 goals and 12 assists in 103 appearances; yet, these elite statistics have failed to reflect on Real Madrid's results.