Malo Gusto: The Chelsea Right Back Making His Mark at the World Cup With France

Malo Gusto has been one of the quieter but consistently effective performers in France's 2026 World Cup squad, providing coach Didier Deschamps with the defensive reliability and attacking width from the right back position that is essential to how the French national team functions at its best. The 22-year-old Chelsea defender, who has developed significantly since his move from Lyon to Stamford Bridge, enters the knockout rounds of the tournament having grown in confidence and composure with each passing group stage fixture.

France won Group I and enter the Round of 32 as one of the tournament favourites, with the quality distributed throughout Deschamps' squad giving them the depth to manage the physical demands of a knockout tournament more comfortably than most other sides in the competition. Gusto's role within that system is to provide the right flank defensive security that allows more advanced players like Kylian Mbappe to focus on attacking contributions without the defensive burden that a less reliable right back would impose on the team's structure.

His Development at Chelsea

Gusto joined Chelsea from Lyon in the summer of 2023 and has been developing steadily into the Premier League's demands since arriving in England. His initial adjustment period was followed by a growing consistency that has made him a reliable starting option at Stamford Bridge and has attracted the attention of French national team selectors who recognised his technical quality and defensive intelligence as attributes worthy of international inclusion.

At club level, Gusto's ability to engage in overlapping runs from right back while maintaining his defensive positioning and tracking runners in transition reflects the modern full back profile that top European coaches increasingly demand. The physical intensity of Premier League football has accelerated his development in ways that playing in Ligue 1, even at a club of Lyon's standard, might not have done at the same pace.

What the World Cup Means for His Career

A successful World Cup campaign with France could significantly raise Malo Gusto's global profile and cement his position as one of Europe's better young right backs. Tournament football on the world's biggest stage exposes players to a global audience in a way that even Champions League football does not quite replicate, and a deep French run into the later rounds of the 2026 World Cup would give Gusto the kind of high-visibility international experience that accelerates the trajectory of young players at exactly the stage of their career when such experiences matter most.