Football is a sport where we see the rise and fall of numerous players every now and then. One great performance and a player becomes an overnight star. Consistent players are feared by opponents and worked upon throughout the 90 minutes of play. But even the best and the most consistent players in the sport can go through a rough patch, which might just get the team and fans concerned. This is exactly what is happening with French striker Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe, who has been a sensation for the French football team and one of the most valuable players in the world at the club football level has been going through a dry spell lately. The man gave his career the best performance during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, steering his team to the finals. He scored 8 goals in the tournament, including a hat-trick in the final ending the tournament as the leading goal scorer and winning the Golden Boot Award.
His career had been at an all-time high throughout the first half of 2023 and has been the prime scorer for Paris Saint-Germain. However, the Ballon d’Or candidate has lately been going through a rough patch, being unable to score a single goal in the last four games he played with PSG. The unexpected dry spell has become a matter of concern for his team and fans as well.
Though his overall performance has been top-notch this season, with a fantastic showing against Rennes, Mbappe was left scoreless for the fourth-straight game for PSG. The striker pulled an amazing defense-piercing work throughout the match, darting swiftly between defenders and scampering into the channels to create a window to score. It was almost perfect until he got in front of the goal.
Mbappe took eight shots that night. Two went narrowly wide. Three stung the palms of Steven Mandanda. Another was blasted over from close range. The others came nowhere near. This is the longest he’s gone without a goal for PSG in five years.
The fact is that for pretty much anyone else, going four games without scoring goes unnoticed. But such a drought coming from one of the best players in modern football has caused some alarm. Mbappe’s relentless consistency is what he is known for, and PSG is thinking hard to get him back in form. He’ll surely be back; we just have to see when!