France were eliminated from Euro 2024 after their semi-final defeat to Spain, in a game which Arsenal star William Saliba faced an onslaught of attacking pressure.
Saliba was hardly to blame as wonder goals from Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal, and long-term Arsenal target Dani Olmo handed Spain the victory, but whilst it was jubilation for one team, questions remain over France’s attack.
Kylian Mbappe is arguably the best striker in the world, and he was expected to light up the tournament. France scored just one open-play goal in six games, and Mbappe looked a shadow of himself.
The attacker, who is joining Real Madrid this summer, has been mooted as a potential all-time great, and has even been compared with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. Following France’s exit, Arsenal fans have had a lot to say about these comparisons.
Arsenal fans slam Kylian Mbappe comparisons with Thierry Henry
Taking to X after the Euro 2024 semi-final between Spain and France, Arsenal fans expressed their disbelief that Mbappe was even mentioned in the same breath as Henry.
“Please don’t be putting Kylian Mbappe’s name next to Thierry Henry. Anyone who watched both will tell you who was comfortably the better footballer,” one Arsenal fan posted.
“Oh, and by the way: pre-2010 Henry is better than any version of Mbappé we’ve seen so far,” another added in response to his poor display against Spain.
“Not everyone can handle the pressure of being the go-to guy. Mbappe is a brilliant player, but neither his character or ability is anywhere near Henry,” one stated of his mentality compared to Henry’s.
“People really said Kylian Mbappe is better than Thierry Henry. Hilarious comparison now,” one pointed out.
“Henry made players around him better, Mbappe seems to leave them disconnected and confused,” one pointed out, referencing France’s dysfunctional attack.
“Comparing Mbappe to Henry is so disrespectful, Henry was 10x the player,” a fan fumed.
Comparisons between Thierry Henry and Kylian Mbappe are too early
Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid will be crucial in determining his legacy. Henry is arguably the greatest player in the history of the Premier League, and won several major trophies at Highbury.
Henry also won the World Cup and the Euros with France, but Olivier Giroud now has the crown as his Nation’s all-time top scorer.
With a Champions League medal to his name at Barcelona, Henry has achieved more in the game than Mbappe so far, but the 25-year-old still has time to catch up.
Mbappe’s greatest moment was scoring a hattrick in the World Cup final, but France still lost to Argentina.
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Trophies aside, the gap between Henry and Mbappe may not be a big one, but a key difference is that in addition to his goalscoring, Henry assisted other attackers, and helped improve the players around him, whilst Mbappe’s presence often makes the team funnel more attacks through him.
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