France vs. Sweden: Ousmane Dembele is coming out of Kylian Mbappe's shadow for the Blues

Ahead of France's clash with Sweden in the last-32 stage of the 2026 World Cup, Sports Mole's Football Editor Matt Law discusses Blues forward Ousmane Dembele.

Matt Law, Football Editor: 'Mbappe will always be the most iconic player in this French team'

It is an interesting point about players getting overshadowed. How could you overshadow Dembele? Mbappe will always be the most iconic player in this French team because of his status. 

These elite talents have different mentalities to reach that level, and Dembele is very much in that bracket. 

Mbappe has been taking all the plaudits, but Dembele's form entering the World Cup had been interesting, as he hadn't scored an international goal since March 2025. 

He only had seven goals for the national side before the World Cup, which for a player of that quality is not really enough.

He now has four goals at the tournament and has put himself in the running for the top scorer award. 

When lining up against France, you want to deal with Mbappe, but then you are also thinking about how to deal with Dembele, Doue, and Olise. 

His goals last time out were some excellent finishes, though the goalkeeping could perhaps have done a little better for one or two of them. 

He is a player I have always followed: his journey at Barcelona, at Dortmund, and now at PSG as one of the leading players in world football. PSG are the back-to-back European champions and a really quality side. 

Can he follow that up with a World Cup win, which would cap an incredible couple of years for him personally, at club level and internationally.

Dembele will be one to watch, though it would not surprise you if Olise was the one who came up with a couple and Dembele had to take a back seat. 

As long as they are getting through, they will not mind too much.