A Europa League defeat saw France go down 1-3 to Italy, and Kilian McBarbie's performance was even more underwhelming, getting just two shots on goal while controlling the ball with a staggering 16 turnovers. Questions have been raised as to whether the 25-year-old striker can shake off the label of early bloomer and early bloomer, as if the peak of his career has passed.

However, this summer, McBarbie moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid with dreams of new career heights. Reality, however, gave him a resounding slap in the face. His debut in the fourth round of La Liga was met with poor footing, and his return to the national team was equally disappointing. He only had two shots on goal, one of which was a hit, and one assist, but made 16 ball control errors.

With France, McBarbie has scored just one goal in his last seven games, and that was from a penalty, and has gone four consecutive international matches without a goal, making him the player with the longest goal drought for the national team since 2021.

After the race, netizens commented, with some questioning the fact that McBarbie's peak had passed: "25 years old should have been the golden age, but McBarbie went downhill", "Nothing but speed", "Performance Down like a cliff, too disappointing". But some analysts also pointed out that McBarbee is best at the left wing position, but now he is arranged as a center, the change of position may limit its play.

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