Da Silva admits Mbappé was an impossible puzzle to solve in defence

Damien Da Silva didn’t hesitate for a second: the most difficult player to face during his Ligue 1 career was Kylian Mbappé. The former Olympique Lyonnais and Stade Rennais defender revealed this in an interview with L’Équipe on Sunday.

“Kylian Mbappé. It may sound obvious, but that’s truly what I feel. He was a kind of puzzle to solve as a defender,” Da Silva said. An admission that speaks volumes about the impact of the France captain on French defences, first at Monaco and then during seven seasons at Paris Saint-Germain before his move to Real Madrid.

What struck Da Silva most was Mbappé’s unpredictability despite rigorous preparation. “Before matches, I liked to watch the forwards I was going to face, their strengths, their weaknesses. With him, when match day came, it was always different. He’s the kind of player who surprises you all the time, good at everything.” A testimony that illustrates the difficulty in confining Mbappé to a tactical scheme, having since confirmed his dominance in La Liga by finishing as the Spanish league’s top scorer in his last two seasons and winning the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup.

As for Damien Da Silva, he retired last April after a nomadic end to his career: a spell at Melbourne Victory in Australia after leaving Lyon in 2023, a return to France with Clermont the following season, then a final adventure at Macarthur, also in Australia. The defender, who won the Coupe de France in 2019 with Rennes, is now preparing for his next chapter, including a project in personalised nutrition for elite athletes.