Paul Pogba has moved to defend Kylian Mbappe ahead of the World Cup, calling the Real Madrid forward the leading striker of this era, while also praising Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Rayan Cherki as key figures who can shape France’s campaign at the tournament.

Mbappe heads into the competition under pressure, after failing to score in France’s two friendlies this month and ending a trophyless 2025-26 season with Real Madrid, yet the statistical record tells a different story about the striker’s overall impact.

Despite Real Madrid missing out on silverware, Mbappe accumulated 42 goals in all competitions after the Club World Cup, the highest total by any LaLiga player that season, while also battling through an injury-hit second half of the campaign for the Spanish club.

His efficiency in front of goal remained striking, with an average of one goal every 86.2 minutes in LaLiga, and Mbappe also topped the domestic charts for expected goals, with 36.4 xG, and for total attempts, registering 209 shots across the league season.

Pogba expressed confusion at the scrutiny directed towards Mbappe, saying: “Can you imagine me [saying] that he had a little difficult season, and this difficult season would be the best season ever for almost all the strikers, Pogba said. That’s how good he is. For him to score 40 goals a year is a difficult season, so I don’t know. I’m just saying, for me, it’s not a bad season! He’s the best striker of his generation. Period.”

While Mbappe remains central to France, Pogba highlighted Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise as another major influence, after Olise helped secure both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles and produced consistent attacking numbers across domestic and European competitions.

Olise finished the Bundesliga season with 34 direct goal contributions, split between 15 goals and 19 assists, which Opta records show is the highest total for a winger in Germany’s top division since detailed data collection began there in 2004-05.

Only Harry Kane, with 41 goal involvements, had a greater direct impact on Bundesliga scoring than Olise, who also impressed in Europe by scoring five goals and supplying seven assists across 13 Champions League appearances for Bayern Munich.

Pogba detailed why Olise caught the eye, stating: “He’s a player I’ve watched the most this year. I enjoy the way he plays, how smart he is, Pogba said of Olise. He’s been one of the best players this season, if not the best. He plays simple, but simple is difficult. He does simple things at the right timewhen to pass the ball, when to dribble, when to shoot. It makes him unpredictable.”

Kylian Mbappe alongside Ousmane Dembele and Rayan Cherki for France

Olise also carried that form into international duty, hitting a first senior hat-trick in France’s 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland on Monday, further strengthening the argument that France enter the World Cup with several attacking players in strong form.

Dembele arrives after winning Ligue 1 and the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain, while Cherki collected two trophies with Manchester City, and Pogba believes that Dembele’s history with France at major tournaments gives the squad another experienced attacking option.

Speaking about Dembele’s role, Pogba said: “You don’t expectthey know what to do. He was there for the World Cup in 2018, Pogba said when asked about Dembele. He has won it before; he has experience, like Kylian. He’s part of the old guys now! He knows what to do; he’s definitely a big help for France.”

Pogba also gave a brief but clear endorsement of Cherki’s style and character, saying: “Big talent, big guyI love his football; it’s like street football.”

With Mbappe’s goals, Olise’s creative influence, Dembele’s past World Cup success and Cherki’s flair, Pogba sees a France attack packed with variety and experience, even as external debate continues over Mbappe’s recent club season and Real Madrid’s lack of trophies.