Six goals and a transformation: Mbappé reconciled with French fans at the World Cup

Kylian Mbappé is the standout player of the first half of this World Cup. With six goals and two assists in four matches — victories against Senegal, Iraq, Norway and Sweden in the round of 16 — the France captain’s statistics stand in stark contrast to a disappointing season in a Real Madrid shirt.

What strikes even more is the nature of his transformation. Mbappé appears closer to his teammates in his captain’s role and significantly more involved defensively, two dimensions that were sorely lacking in Madrid. This contrast has not escaped Spanish observers, who struggle to recognize the player who showed so little collective effort throughout the club season.

Michael Olise, impressive as a playmaker, and Ousmane Dembélé, who scored a hat-trick against Norway, also contribute to France’s attacking momentum. But it is Mbappé who commands attention, for entirely different reasons than a few weeks ago.

The turnaround in French public opinion is striking. As the tournament approached, the player himself admitted to being “quite hated as it is.” Since then, a petition titled “Kylian, forgive us” has collected several thousand signatures. Its preamble is straightforward: “France behaved badly. We doubted, we criticized, we were ungrateful. It is time to make amends.” Signatories can even check off each criticism leveled against the former Paris player to establish a “national shame meter.”

The initiative contrasts with another petition launched two months earlier in Spain under the title “Fuera” — “Out” — which called for his departure from Real Madrid and reached 44 million signatures through massive bot usage.