Coach returns after his mother’s funeral, Mbappe honors him with a heartfelt hug

Kylian Mbappe did not celebrate France’s opening goal by turning to the crowd or pointing to his name. Instead, he ran to his coach – Didier Deschamps.

After giving France the lead in the round of 32 against Sweden on Tuesday, Mbappe sprinted to the touchline and embraced his coach in an emotional moment that has quickly become one of the defining images of the World Cup so far.

Deschamps only returned to the French camp four days ago after returning home to attend his mother’s funeral. As Mbappe wrapped his arms around the coach, the rest of France’s players followed suit and surrounded Deschamps in a collective embrace that mirrored the party rally around his manager as much as the goal celebration.

France beat Sweden 3-0 to book their place in the round of 16, but the first goal – and what followed – became the defining moment of the evening.

The celebration also underlined the strong relationship between Deschamps and his captain.

France’s World Cup triumph in 1998 was built on the combination of coach Aime Jacquet and his on-field leader Deschamps. Almost three decades later, Deschamps seems to have found a similar figure in Mbappe.

The Real Madrid forward arrived at this World Cup in exceptional form, scoring six goals and adding two assists, but his impact extended beyond numbers.

THIS IS THE DNA OF FRANCE: MBAPPE

After the game, Mbappe explained that the celebration was instinctive.

“A tribute to Didier Deschamps? That’s the DNA of this group. We’re all in this together,” Mbappe said.

“Coach went through something that unfortunately everyone experiences at some point in their life. It’s incredibly difficult. He will never be alone with us. We will support him.”

Mbappe later shifted his focus back to the tournament itself.

“I am fully aware of what is at stake, where I am and what I have to do. The team knows what they have to do here as well,” he said.

Deschamps took off Mbappe in the 84th minute to all but seal the result against Sweden. As Mbappe left the pitch, Deschamps bowed to his captain – a gesture that drew a loud ovation from the stadium.

France’s next game is against Paraguay, who eliminated Germany in the round of 32. The match is played on Sunday 5th July at 2:30 IST.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

1 Jul 2026 15:14 IST