Shocking stats behind Kylian Mbappe’s Euro 2020 campaign revealed as France star targets Euro 2024 redemption
France's last European Championship proved to be a very disappointing affair - and no one was more frustrated than Kylian Mbappe.
There was little doubt heading into the tournament that the Paris Saint-Germain star, who shone in Les Blues' 2018 World Cup win, would enjoy another fruitful campaign for his country.
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After Karim Benzema's long-awaited return to the national team was announced ahead of the Euros, the now 25-year-old looked to have found the perfect strike partner to help fire France to glory.
But Didier Deschamps' side failed to live up to expectations as they crashed out of the competition in the Round of 16, losing to Switzerland on penalties, with Mbappe missing the decisive spot-kick.
The then-world champions' heartbreaking exit capped off a miserable campaign for the forward, who failed to score a single goal and recorded just one assist all tournament.
Admittedly, the statistics do not paint the full picture of the outgoing PSG man's contributions.
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Mbappe won a penalty from which Benzema scored in France's 2-2 draw with Portugal, as well as playing a lovely back heel into Antoine Griezmann who then set up the striker against Switzerland.
Nonetheless, this still marked a major disappointment for the attacker, who later admitted he considered quitting international football after receiving torrents of racist abuse for his penalty miss.
In October 2021, Mbappe said: "I received the message that my ego was what made us lose, that I wanted to take up too much space, and that without me, therefore, we might have won.
"The most important thing is the French national team and if the French national team is happier without me, [I'll go].
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"I met with the president [of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet] and we talked about it. What I went to complain to him about was that I was insulted and called a 'monkey' for missing a penalty."
Euro 2020 was certainly a new low for the attacker, who had become the second teenager after Brazil legend Pele to score in a World Cup final just three years previously in Russia.
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He was awarded the Best Young Player award for his exploits that summer, where he found the net four times as Les Blues beat Croatia to become champions for the second time.
France supporters will certainly be pleased that Mbappe ultimately chose not to call time on his international career, and he nearly enjoyed the dream redemption at the 2022 World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe at Euro 2020
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Shots: 14
Shots on target: 3
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The 77-cap international returned to spearhead Les Blues in Qatar, where his eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final, saw France narrowly miss out on glory against Argentina, losing on penalties.
Despite suffering heartache, it was still a tournament to remember for Mbappe, who secured the Golden Boot, and became the first player to score a treble in a final since England's Geoff Hurst in 1966.
Mbappe will be hoping to go one further at Euro 2024 in Germany this summer, as he prepares to captain his country at a major tournament for the first time, after being named skipper in 2023.
And with a transfer to Real Madrid seemingly on the cards, he'll be keen to impress his potential new employers.