Lizarazu was part of the France squad who secured a FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship double in 1998 and 2000 as part of 12-year international career with Les Bleus.
The former defender has been an outspoken voice on French football since his retirement and he offered his support to Mbappe after a mixed first two years at Real Madrid.
Mbappe completed a free transfer switch from PSG to Madrid ahead of the 2024/25 season and left the Parc des Princes as PSG's all-time record goal scorer with 256 goals and six Ligue 1 titles.
Despite racking up an impressive 86 goals in 103 games at Real Madrid, Mbappe is yet to win a major trophy with Spanish giants, in the same period where Luis Enrique has led PSG to back-to-back Champions League crowns.
Mbappe's failure to inspire PSG to European glory during his time at the club has been held up as an example of Luis Enrique's transformative impact and the potential for a more united squad without Mbappe's presence.
However, that view is not shared by Lizarazu, who pointed to Mbappe now overtaking Olivier Giroud as France's top scorer (58) and Just Fontaine as the nation's leading scorer of World Cup goals (14).
"At 27, he's already France's all-time leading scorer and one of the best in World Cup history. For his clubs, he scores so many goals, and with a better average (427 in 570 matches, 0.75 goals per game), than legendary strikers like Ronaldo (380, 0.65), Raúl (427, 0.42), Henry (411, 0.45) or Van Basten (301, 0.7).
"That's why the one-sided criticism he receives in the last two years bothers me.
"Since 2024, PSG has won two Champions Leagues and Real Madrid no major titles, that's a fact. But, it doesn't diminish what he's achieved and certainly doesn't make him such a mediocre player."
Mbappe will captain France in his 100th international appearance in their second Group I clash against Iraq in Philadelphia later today.