Former Ballon d’Or Winner Defends Mbappe Following Criticism of the PSG Star’s Penalty Miss Against Switzerland

Former Ballon d’Or winner and longtime French international Jean Pierre-Papin defended Kylian Mbappe following the forward’s penalty shootout miss in France’s UEFA Euro 2020 fixture against Switzerland.

Mbappe finished off his Euro 2020 campaign in disappointing fashion, as he wasted multiple high-percentage goal-scoring chances in France’s knockout stage loss to Switzerland.

Overall, Mbappe has continued to garner criticism for his notable struggles over the tournament, as he finished with zero goals and one assist over four matches played.

Still, Papin is backing away from criticizing Mbappe for his underwhelming run in the tournament as instead, the former French talent is confident that the PSG star can soon turn around his form.

Papin spoke to Le Parisien about Mbappe and the forward’s sluggish play over the tournament.

“I’m not worried about him,” Papin said. “With time, he will be brought to be more regular. He set the bar so high at the beginning that unless you are a superman, it is very complicated to exceed it or even reach it again.

“In this tournament, I found him less incisive. Will the penalty kick haunt him for some time? He will go on vacation; he will have some free time and will certainly think about it for a while. When the games come together, it’s easier to forget and move on.”

Mbappe will surely have a chip on his shoulder next season wherever he will play football, whether with PSG or another notable powerhouse club.

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Tags Jean-Pierre Papin Kylian Mbappé
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