France coach Didier Deschamps confirmed that Kylian Mbappe is ready to face England in the World Cup third-place playoff, while also maintaining his chances of winning the Golden Boot award.
"I have a duty as head coach to do everything I can to achieve tomorrow's goal. I hope we can do it, and we must show all our effort to do so," Deschamps was quoted as saying by ESPN.
Mbappé was one of the tournament's standout performers, scoring eight goals. This is the same number as Argentina captain Lionel Messi, but he still finished second in the race for the tournament's top scorer award due to his assists .
Goals scored in the third-place playoff still count towards the World Cup top scorer award, making the match against England an opportunity for Mbappe to surpass Messi and take home the bronze medal.
Despite confirming Mbappe will play, Deschamps will also make changes to his starting lineup for his final match as France coach after leading the team since 2012.
