Wenger backs Mbappé to shed 'scapegoat' label and shine at World Cup 2026

Arsène Wenger has come to the defence of Kylian Mbappé, insisting the Real Madrid forward has been unfairly blamed for the club’s struggles this season and predicting the 27-year-old will be a defining figure at the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Speaking to Le Figaro, the former Arsenal manager argued that Mbappé has been cast as a convenient scapegoat at the Bernabéu rather than held to a fair standard. Despite scoring 42 goals across all competitions, the Frenchman has faced persistent scrutiny amid reported dressing room tensions at a club Wenger believes is no longer the dominant force it once was.

“There’s one man who is at the centre of all expectations: Kylian Mbappé,” Wenger said. “I’m ready to bet on it, he’s going to have a fantastic World Cup. He’s been unfairly criticised often this season. He landed in an average Real Madrid team. Real has three or four world-class players. Before, they had ten. Football is such that you always need a scapegoat. He’s become that.”

Wenger also reframed Mbappé’s reduced workload during injury spells this season as a potential advantage heading into the tournament. Where many elite players arrive at major tournaments running on empty after 60-game club seasons, Wenger believes Mbappé will be physically fresh at a time when it matters most.

“Kylian has everything it takes to have a great World Cup,” Wenger added. “He’s physically fresh, he’s not overworked. I’ve seen players with 60 matches under their belts before the World Cup tell me, ‘I’m not making any progress in training and I have nothing left in my legs,’ but he’s not like that. I haven’t seen many players have a great World Cup after a Champions League final.”

Beyond Mbappé, Wenger reserved particular praise for France as a collective, placing Didier Deschamps’ side above every other nation in his personal reckoning. He pointed to the squad’s attacking depth and the head coach’s tactical experience as the foundations of a team capable of overpowering any opponent in the tournament’s closing stages.

“I put them above the others,” Wenger said. “France have so much talent and Deschamps has experience. We have so many attacking players that the danger is being a little unbalanced offensively. But today, the modern player, even an attacking one, knows how to do his share of the defensive work. When you’re 0-0 against France with 20 minutes to go, you lose the match. Power makes the difference.”

The comments arrive at a moment when Mbappé’s individual form has drawn renewed attention, with Michael Olise recently stealing the spotlight with a hat-trick in a game where the forward went without a goal.