Sacré Bleu

From France's first World Cup victory in 1998 to their second in 2018, Les Bleus have experienced a journey that has been anything but easy. Two decades of extreme turbulence for both the national team and the country, however, have seen the birth, growth and emergence of football wunderkind Kylian Mbappé. This young, dynamic player has lifted the country's spirits; he is a precocious talent who has let his ability demonstrate a grace and certainty beyond his years, and a genius that is as lethal as it is quiet. Sports journalist and broadcaster Matthew Spiro examines the reasons behind French football's glorious highs and its impossibly depressing lows.