By Julien Pretot
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ, June 30 (Reuters) - France's 1998 World Cup triumph was built on a special bond between coach Aime Jacquet and his on-field lieutenant Didier Deschamps.
Twenty-eight years later, Deschamps the coach has built a strikingly similar relationship with Kylian Mbappe, trusting his captain to carry the entire squad with him as Les Bleus chase another World Cup.
When Mbappe opened the scoring in France's 3-0 victory over Sweden in the last 32 on Tuesday, he sprinted straight
to the touchline and into the arms of Didier Deschamps, who had returned four days earlier after attending his mother's funeral.
One by one, every France player followed, surrounding their coach in a spontaneous embrace that spoke volumes about the unity coursing through the squad.
At the heart of it all is Mbappe.
France's captain has arrived at this World Cup on a mission. He has scored six goals and set up two more, but his influence stretches far beyond the scoresheet.
He has publicly defended teammate Ousmane Dembele through difficult moments and repeatedly insisted that nothing matters more than lifting the trophy again.
The scars of Lusail still burn deep.
Mbappe's extraordinary hat-trick in the 2022 final against Argentina was not enough to prevent France surrendering their crown, a painful lesson that even one of the game's greatest talents cannot conquer a World Cup alone.
MARKSMAN SUPREME
Four years on, he is chasing the title not simply as France's marksman supreme, but as the leader of a team he is determined to carry with him.
While he has been criticised for his supposed individualism at Real Madrid, even being portrayed as a dictator on social media, Mbappe has become a unifying figure for Les Bleus, urging Michael Olise to get his head back into the game after the playmaker wasted a golden chance in the second half, while also showing a growing willingness to shoulder defensive duties.
"Kylian knows how to defend. He scores goals too — more than anyone else. I told you from day one: he's on a mission. Even if you don't always hear me say it... Even in the fitness drills, he was finishing first," Deschamps said.
"I said a long time ago that he has embraced his role as captain. The image people may have of him from the outside doesn't always — in fact, only rarely — reflect who he really is."
There appears to be no stopping Mbappe in the U.S., a country where he seems able to fully embrace his superstardom while keeping his feet on the ground.
Minutes after the game, the 27-year-old stopped only briefly to give his thoughts to a pitchside interviewer.
"I'm fully aware of what's at stake, where I am and what I have to do. The team knows what it has to do here as well. A new competition was starting. We played well today, even though we had a difficult start," he said.
"The tribute to Didier Deschamps? That's the DNA of this group. We're all in this together. The coach has gone through something that, unfortunately, everyone experiences at some point in life. It's incredibly difficult. He'll never be alone with us. We'll support him."
Asked if he was already thinking about the last-16 clash with Paraguay, Mbappe quipped: "Paraguay? Right now my focus is on the air conditioning and the dressing room."
Deschamps spoke for his players: "They're on a mission, and I'm on a mission with them."
(Reporting by Julien Pretot, editing by Ed Osmond)
