Declan Rice and Kylian Mbappe’s apparent half-time shirt swap during England’s World Cup bronze-medal win over France sparked criticism from former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves.
England midfielder Declan Rice and France captain Kylian Mbappe became the centre of attention after appearing to swap shirts at half-time during England’s dramatic 6-4 victory in the 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff.
According to talkSPORT, television footage showed Rice walking to the dressing room with a France shirt while Mbappe appeared to carry an England jersey.
Former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves described the timing as “very, very weird,” arguing such exchanges are usually reserved for the final whistle.
England eventually sealed the bronze medal thanks to Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick and late strikes from Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa.
France fought back through Mbappe, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele, but could not overturn the deficit as Thomas Tuchel’s side secured England’s best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966.
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