Kylian Mbappe admits to Euro 2024 tiredness

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has admitted to feeling tired as France struggle for form at Euro 2024, report agencies.
Les Bleus have laboured through the competition and they face a crunch semi final showdown against Spain tonight (Wednesday as per BST) in Munich.
France finished second in Group D behind Austria, with just two goals scored, including an own goal and a penalty for Mbappe.
That pattern has continued in the knockout stages with another own goal against Belgium and a penalty shootout seeing them past Portugal.
Mbappe has found himself at the centre of criticism for poor individual and collective performances despite advancing into the final four.
The France captain offered his view on why he is struggling at the tournament ahead of a key clash against Spain.
"I asked to be taken off (against Portugal). At half time in extra time, I told the manager I didn't feel it anymore, I was too tired", he said.
If France get past Spain into the final they will face either England or the Netherlands as they aim for a first European title since 2000.
Kylian Mbappé's European Championship campaign has been far from ideal. Wearing a vision-limiting face mask due to a broken nose and grappling with fitness issues from the end of the club season, Mbappé has scored just one goal - a penalty.
Despite these challenges, the France captain remains focused on lifting the Henri Delaunay Cup in Berlin on July 14.
Mbappé's fatigue was evident during the quarterfinals against Portugal in Hamburg on Friday. After taking a couple of hits to his protective mask, he asked to be substituted at halftime of extra time, foregoing a likely penalty in the impending shootout. France ultimately won 5-3 due to Joao Felix's miss.
France coach Didier Deschamps confirmed Mbappé's decision to step down for the good of the team. "He is always very honest with me and the team. When he feels he doesn't have the capacity to accelerate then we can't risk it, even a player like Kylian," Deschamps said.
Mbappé admitted before the Portugal game that he wasn't in prime shape and needed a "good pre-season to be at 100 per cent." This will come at Real Madrid, which he joined after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain ended.
A broken nose in France's opening group game disrupted Mbappé's tournament, restricting his peripheral vision and impacting his performance. His standout moments have been in press conferences, urging French citizens to vote in snap elections and warning against the dangers of the far right.
On the field, France heads into a semifinal match against Spain on Wednesday (as per BST), having scored only three goals in the tournament - two own-goals and Mbappé's penalty against Austria. No France player has scored from open play yet.
Like Greece in 2004, France is advancing largely due to its strong defense and team structure, though the talent within this French squad far surpasses that of Greece's 20 years ago.
"In the locker room, we weren't thinking that we still hadn't scored a goal in the game," said Mbappé, who scored a hat trick in the 2022 World Cup final. "But yes, we will look into the question (of France's lack of efficiency in attack) while maintaining this defensive solidity. I've only scored one goal, but we're in the semifinals and I'm very happy."
Watching the penalty shootout from the sidelines was not easy for Mbappé. "It's worse than shooting," he said, laughing.
However, Mbappe's teammates insist they are not worried about their captain's performances.
"I don't think he is going through a bad period. He had a great season. If he is not scoring goals we need to help him. The competition is not over. Apart from his little nose, he is fine," said Randal Kolo Muani, who played with Mbappe at PSG in the last campaign, on Sunday.
Mbappe is France's third-top scorer of all time with 48 goals in 83 appearances, but he has just two in his last nine caps.
In the meantime, he has settled into the role of captain which he was given after Hugo Lloris retired in the wake of the 2022 World Cup.
On Friday, after being substituted, television cameras caught Mbappe giving a rousing speech to his teammates just before the penalty shoot-out against Portugal.
"Kylian is the player who went through one-on-one three times in a World Cup final," said midfielder YoussoufFofana in reference to his hat-trick against Argentina in Doha.
"So when he talks about penalties before a shoot-out, we listen to him."
Mbappe is also very much at ease in front of the media, and has notably used the platform given to him in pre-game press conferences to talk politics, making clear his opposition to the far-right National Rally in relation to the French parliamentary elections.
He is a natural leader, but it is goals that this shot-shy France team want more than anything from him.
Mbappe will not come directly up against one of his future club colleagues against Spain, with right-back Dani Carvajal suspended after his sending-off against Germany in the quarter-finals.
Whoever replaces Carvajal, Mbappe will hope to come out on top and lead France to a third final in the last four major tournaments.
Meanwhile, Spain have dazzled in Germany, reaching the final four on the back of the attacking brilliance of wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.
By contrast France, one of the pre-tournament favourites who boast one-man offensive powerhouse Kylian Mbappe, have ground their way to the semis on the back of solid defence, conceding just one goal in five games.
Spain's 11 goals scored is equal most in the tournament alongside hosts Germany, the team they beat in extra-time in the quarter final.
La Roja have won five from five.
Excluding wins on penalties, no team in Euros history has ever won more than five games in the same tournament.
While veteran striker Alvaro Morata captains Spain, headlining the team's attacking prowess are young wingers Williams, 21, and Yamal, 16, providing speed and creativity from both flanks.
Williams has scored a goal and laid on an assist. Yamal is yet to find the net -- if he does score at this tournament he will break the record for youngest goalscorer at the Euros by almost two years -- but has provided three assists, the most at the tournament.