Kylian Mbappe called ‘ninja turtle’ by France team-mate in brutal put down

France star Marcus Thuram has labelled team-mate Kylian Mbappe a ‘ninja turtle’ ahead of their Euro 2024 Group D opener.

Mbappe will captain France at this summer’s tournament, with Les Bleus targeting their first European Championship triumph in 24 years.

But in the build-up to their opening match against Austria on Monday, the recent Real Madrid signing was compared to a cartoon character by team-mate Thuram.

Having been mistaken for Mbappe during a press conference, Thuram replied by saying: “I’m more handsome than Kylian. I don’t look like a ninja turtle.”

The response was met with a chorus of laughter, with the journalists at the press conference able to see the funny side of Thuram’s brutal put-down.

It’s unlikely to disrupt Mbappe’s preparations either, as the forward is locked in on France’s European Championship campaign.

There’s also an added pressure on the 25-year-old’s shoulders this time around, with Mbappe having been handed the captain’s armband following Hugo Lloris’ retirement from international football.

Addressing that responsibility, Mbappe appears to have taken it in his stride, with the 2018 World Cup winner keen to add the Euros to his growing list of achievements with the French national team.

Speaking to CNN, he said: “It’s going to be an amazing experience, for sure … I really want to win this. It’s my first competition as captain, so it’s really important for me, and it’s always important for the country, and we want them to be proud of us.”

France’s last international tournament ended in heartbreak, with Didier Deschamps’ side losing the World Cup final on penalties against Argentina.

But Mbappe is adamant the French squad have put that disappointment behind them.

He added: “I think we have to move forward. Of course, we were hurt that we were close to [being] back-to-back [World Cup champions], something amazing, something historic.

“Everybody loved the game, except us, we didn’t love that, but it’s part of the game. Now, when I watch the video of the game, I watch with a smile because it’s part of the history, and we know what we have to do if we’re in the final again.”