England vs. France: Is Kyle Walker the man who can slow down Kylian Mbappe in World Cup quarterfinal?

Mbappe leads the way in the World Cup Golden Boot race

It is arguably the greatest individual challenge that a player could face in the international game. And on Saturday, it is likely to be Kyle Walker's, a defender who has spent a decade at the top of the sport, whose raw abilities marked him out as a star but who has developed a technical and intellectual understanding of his role that at 32 years old marks him out as one of the great right backs of his generation.

He will need every scintilla of his quality, experience, and pure pace if he is to slow the advancing tide that will bear down on him at the Al Bayt Stadium. Kylian Mbappe looks to be an unstoppable force. Walker and his England teammates need to find a way to slow him down.

Of course, England could do that and crash out at the quarterfinal stage. Part of the reason Mbappe has been so successful at this World Cup, where he is two clear in the Golden Boot race and one off the top in the standings for the leading assist provider, is because those around him are drawing such attention. Ousmane Dembele has carried his Barcelona revival onto the international stage but Antoine Griezmann looks nothing like even his best version at Atletico Madrid this season, instead of a poacher or second striker, he is excelling as a classic number 10, scheming on the edge of the box in open play whilst delivering with deadly precision from dead balls. Then there is Olivier Giroud, France's record goalscorer and the ultimate facilitative forward. Not for nothing do so many greats play their best football when he is in the team.