ONE THING IS for sure, France aren’t looking to hide away in preparation for this World Cup semi-final with Spain.
If Les Blues wanted to find solace and tranquillity there would have been acres and acres of options.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, after all.
France have embraced every aspect of this tournament and are doing so again on the eve of this clash. They couldn’t have picked a more central hotel, slap bang in the middle of Main Street, Dallas, just a five-minute drive from Dealey Plaza and the site of the John F. Kennedy assassination.
The famous Southfork Ranch from the TV show Dallas is only 25 miles north of the city and might have been an option for some kind of retreat. No chance of Kylian Mbappé emerging from a shower and realising defeat to Argentina in the 2022 final was just a dream, though.
That Euro 2024 semi-final loss to Spain in Munich also can’t be airbrushed, a moment in time that hinted at the changing of the guard for the established order of stars in world football.
Mbappé suddenly looked like an older, lethargic figure, not a beaten docket but a player worn down by the demands the game makes on your mind and body every single day. He was no longer the future.
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Step forward Lamine Yamal. Oh boy, did he step up, with a graceful swivel of his hips that almost sent Adrien Rabiot skidding back towards the Champs-Élysées. What followed was a sensational goal that made him the youngest scorer in Euros’ history but also turned the tide in Spain’s favour. This was the impact Yamal was capable of.
He was still a few days shy of his 17th birthday. Sprightly and carefree, it was not just the exuberance of youth that set him apart but total freedom from the hindrance of adult life or the burden of any kind of angst.
Yamal turned 19 on Monday and the years that have passed since the Euros are evidence of a thrilling potential that is yet to be fully realised despite the tremendous success for club and country.
He still looks like a kid but you can be sure he will feel like a grown up. He came into this tournament having suffered a torn hamstring and is managing his body to try and perform for his country. Mbappé has been accused of doing the same for Real Madrid over the course of what was a disappointing season for the club but still saw him score 42 goals.
When Barcelona won La Liga in May, Yamal celebrated on an open-top bus with his teammates but was criticised for waving a Palestine flag. His simple gesture was pored over by politicians and media alike.
Last November, a study conducted by the Spanish Observatory of Racism and Xenophobia (Oberaxe) found that Yamal gets more racial abuse on social media than every La Liga player combined.
Over the course of the 2024/25 season, newspaper El Pais reported Oberaxe’s findings and detailed how there were 33,438 attacks recorded. Yamal was on the receiving end of 60% with a further 29% for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jnr. Mbappé, Alejandro Balde, Brahim Diaz and Inaki Williams were cited as the other highest-ranking targets.
It is a grim reality for anyone to face, especially someone so young. And the World Cup doesn’t operate in a vacuum despite the sense it brings out so much of the game’s good. In the aftermath of France’s well-earned win over Paraguay in the last 16, Mbappé was the victim of a racist attack by a Paraguayan senator.
Last week, The Guardian also reported that after the French Football Federation (FFF) filed a complaint with the national unit for combating online hate, prosecutors in Paris have opened an investigation. Officials are said to be determining whether to demand that the senator in question be charged with aggravated public insult or incitement to hatred or violence.
It all seems a far cry from the freedom and sense of enjoyment Mbappé has brought to this tournament. One dreadful missed penalty against Morocco aside, he has dazzled with his all-round performances as well as his eight goals.
This World Cup feels like it will be his reminder to us all that he remains the most absorbing performer in the modern history of the tournament.
His name was certainly the one that dominated the jerseys of a couple of hundred people who lined out in downtown Dallas on Monday.
A single block of Main Street was closed for a few hours, scores of police officers in patrol cars and on motorbikes lining the pavements as office workers in nearby high-rises pressed up against windows nearby to wonder what the fuss was about.
Fans of all ages and from various countries gathered in the blazing sun to simply try and catch a glimpse. One lady in a Norway jersey spoke about travelling from Kansas City where she had been able to visit the England training base with around 15 others. She found it endearing that Jude Bellingham simply strolled about eating ice cream.
This was a different vibe.
After almost three hours baking in the heat, one fan in his 20s with a Real Madrid jersey bearing Eduardo Camavinga’s name began to lose his balance.
He started to tremble and his face went pale. As his legs softened, he slumped onto the concrete, thankfully remaining conscious and asking for some water. One woman sprinted to a CVS Pharmacy a few feet away while a handful more produced water and attracted the attention of police officers who offered an ambulance.
The young man seemed fine after a few minutes and returned to his spot. We hope for his sake that he realised Camavinga had been left out of the French World Cup squad by boss Didier Deschamps.
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Fathers threw sons onto their shoulders and mothers sought to help. “You gotta lift your butt higher, you got lift that butt higher than that to be able to see,” one woman yelled as her son held onto his Mbappé trading card for dear life.
The barriers kept all of these supporters at least 30ft away, but people didn’t seem to care. Most were content to just get a sighting, to chant and shout their favourite players’ name.
There was a short outbreak of “Allez Les Bleus” and after it ended one American who had been standing silently for almost an hour finally had something to say. “Who is it that we are waiting for?” he asked, as The 42 pointed at the big blue bus to his right with FRANCE written across it.
As Deschamps and his players finally appeared, the roars were incessant as hundreds of camera phones were stuck in the air. This will be as close as some will get to their heroes as tickets for Tuesday’s game are around $1,300 (€1,000), although it’s closer to $3,000 (€2,700) for the game between Argentina and England.
Mbappé v Yamal takes prime billing once again but they find themselves in very different places to where they were two years ago.
The next chapter in this chronicle will shine a light on World Cup destiny.
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Latest chapter of Mbappé-Yamal chronicles will shine light on World Cup destiny
ONE THING IS for sure, France aren’t looking to hide away in preparation for this World Cup semi-final with Spain.
If Les Blues wanted to find solace and tranquillity there would have been acres and acres of options.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, after all.
France have embraced every aspect of this tournament and are doing so again on the eve of this clash. They couldn’t have picked a more central hotel, slap bang in the middle of Main Street, Dallas, just a five-minute drive from Dealey Plaza and the site of the John F. Kennedy assassination.
The famous Southfork Ranch from the TV show Dallas is only 25 miles north of the city and might have been an option for some kind of retreat. No chance of Kylian Mbappé emerging from a shower and realising defeat to Argentina in the 2022 final was just a dream, though.
That Euro 2024 semi-final loss to Spain in Munich also can’t be airbrushed, a moment in time that hinted at the changing of the guard for the established order of stars in world football.
Mbappé suddenly looked like an older, lethargic figure, not a beaten docket but a player worn down by the demands the game makes on your mind and body every single day. He was no longer the future.
Step forward Lamine Yamal. Oh boy, did he step up, with a graceful swivel of his hips that almost sent Adrien Rabiot skidding back towards the Champs-Élysées. What followed was a sensational goal that made him the youngest scorer in Euros’ history but also turned the tide in Spain’s favour. This was the impact Yamal was capable of.
He was still a few days shy of his 17th birthday. Sprightly and carefree, it was not just the exuberance of youth that set him apart but total freedom from the hindrance of adult life or the burden of any kind of angst.
Yamal turned 19 on Monday and the years that have passed since the Euros are evidence of a thrilling potential that is yet to be fully realised despite the tremendous success for club and country.
He still looks like a kid but you can be sure he will feel like a grown up. He came into this tournament having suffered a torn hamstring and is managing his body to try and perform for his country. Mbappé has been accused of doing the same for Real Madrid over the course of what was a disappointing season for the club but still saw him score 42 goals.
When Barcelona won La Liga in May, Yamal celebrated on an open-top bus with his teammates but was criticised for waving a Palestine flag. His simple gesture was pored over by politicians and media alike.
Last November, a study conducted by the Spanish Observatory of Racism and Xenophobia (Oberaxe) found that Yamal gets more racial abuse on social media than every La Liga player combined.
Over the course of the 2024/25 season, newspaper El Pais reported Oberaxe’s findings and detailed how there were 33,438 attacks recorded. Yamal was on the receiving end of 60% with a further 29% for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jnr. Mbappé, Alejandro Balde, Brahim Diaz and Inaki Williams were cited as the other highest-ranking targets.
It is a grim reality for anyone to face, especially someone so young. And the World Cup doesn’t operate in a vacuum despite the sense it brings out so much of the game’s good. In the aftermath of France’s well-earned win over Paraguay in the last 16, Mbappé was the victim of a racist attack by a Paraguayan senator.
Last week, The Guardian also reported that after the French Football Federation (FFF) filed a complaint with the national unit for combating online hate, prosecutors in Paris have opened an investigation. Officials are said to be determining whether to demand that the senator in question be charged with aggravated public insult or incitement to hatred or violence.
It all seems a far cry from the freedom and sense of enjoyment Mbappé has brought to this tournament. One dreadful missed penalty against Morocco aside, he has dazzled with his all-round performances as well as his eight goals.
This World Cup feels like it will be his reminder to us all that he remains the most absorbing performer in the modern history of the tournament.
His name was certainly the one that dominated the jerseys of a couple of hundred people who lined out in downtown Dallas on Monday.
A single block of Main Street was closed for a few hours, scores of police officers in patrol cars and on motorbikes lining the pavements as office workers in nearby high-rises pressed up against windows nearby to wonder what the fuss was about.
Fans of all ages and from various countries gathered in the blazing sun to simply try and catch a glimpse. One lady in a Norway jersey spoke about travelling from Kansas City where she had been able to visit the England training base with around 15 others. She found it endearing that Jude Bellingham simply strolled about eating ice cream.
This was a different vibe.
After almost three hours baking in the heat, one fan in his 20s with a Real Madrid jersey bearing Eduardo Camavinga’s name began to lose his balance.
He started to tremble and his face went pale. As his legs softened, he slumped onto the concrete, thankfully remaining conscious and asking for some water. One woman sprinted to a CVS Pharmacy a few feet away while a handful more produced water and attracted the attention of police officers who offered an ambulance.
The young man seemed fine after a few minutes and returned to his spot. We hope for his sake that he realised Camavinga had been left out of the French World Cup squad by boss Didier Deschamps.
Fathers threw sons onto their shoulders and mothers sought to help. “You gotta lift your butt higher, you got lift that butt higher than that to be able to see,” one woman yelled as her son held onto his Mbappé trading card for dear life.
The barriers kept all of these supporters at least 30ft away, but people didn’t seem to care. Most were content to just get a sighting, to chant and shout their favourite players’ name.
There was a short outbreak of “Allez Les Bleus” and after it ended one American who had been standing silently for almost an hour finally had something to say. “Who is it that we are waiting for?” he asked, as The 42 pointed at the big blue bus to his right with FRANCE written across it.
As Deschamps and his players finally appeared, the roars were incessant as hundreds of camera phones were stuck in the air. This will be as close as some will get to their heroes as tickets for Tuesday’s game are around $1,300 (€1,000), although it’s closer to $3,000 (€2,700) for the game between Argentina and England.
Mbappé v Yamal takes prime billing once again but they find themselves in very different places to where they were two years ago.
The next chapter in this chronicle will shine a light on World Cup destiny.
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2026 world cup Different Class France kylian mbappe Lamine Yamal Soccer Spain