France captain Hugo Lloris has backed Kylian Mbappe to lead the next generation of talent back to the top of world football.
Les Blues surrendered their crown to Argentina in a thrilling final at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Sunday night.
Mbappe scored all three goals for Didier Deschamps’ side in the 3-3 draw before they bowed out 4-2 on penalties.
The 23-year-old was the first player since Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
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“I believe that this tournament can be used for the future of the France team,” said Lloris.
“It was a bit of a handover between a generation arriving in the last phase of their careers and a new generation led by Kylian, who showed strong leadership in this tournament and even more so in this final. We must keep this France team at the top.
“The regret we can have is this first half. We were beaten in all aspects of the game. It’s painful.
“Despite that, in the second half, we came back with other intentions. We did it, also thanks to the talent of Kylian Mbappe – who knew how to carry the team through an important moment.”
