France captain Kylian Mbappe continues to come under fire in his home country for his absence over the international break.
The Les Blues skipper missed the 4-1 win over Israel last week and also won’t lead out Didier Deschamps’ men against Belgium this evening.
Mbappe was jeered by fans when he made his return in Lille on October 2Getty
Mbappe is undisputedly France’s biggest star but his relationship with the national team has been fraught since he was named captain.
The 25-year-old was controversially picked to succeed Hugo Lloris last year over Antoine Griezmann, who was instead chosen as his vice.
The latter’s commitment to France has never been doubted having played a record 84 consecutive matches for them from 2017 to 2024.
However, the breakdown of Mbappe’s tenure at Paris Saint-Germain coupled with France’s disappointing Euro 2024 campaign – his first tournament as captain – has seen his popularity back home fall.
Real Madrid’s No.9 was booed during the international break last month after claiming the criticism about Les Bleus’ playing style was ‘the least of his concerns’.
Atletico Madrid star Griezmann announced his retirement from international football last week, but Mbappe is not involved in the squad either which further complicates the situation.
Why Mbappe is not playing against Belgium?
Officially, Mbappe was ruled out of the France squad due to a thigh injury he sustained in Real Madrid’s 3-2 win over Alaves last month.
The forward was expected to be sidelined for around three weeks and missed the 1-1 draw in the Madrid derby against Atletico.
On the eve of Deschamps’ squad announcement, Mbappe made a surprise early return against Lille in the Champions League.
He received a hostile reception for his first outing in his homeland as a Madridista but was still excluded from France’s October squad.
Mbappe has been defended by several of his France teammates
“I spoke with Kylian about the situation, which is still uncertain after coming on as a substitute on Wednesday,” Deschamps explained.
“He has a match on Saturday and there are questions.
“He has a problem which is not serious but he needs treatment to recover properly,” the manager continued.
“I am not here to take risks. That is why Kylian is not here.”
The ill feeling deepened when Mbappe was deemed fit to start Madrid’s win over Villarreal three days later.
The 2018 World Cup winner was then seen out late in Sweden on Thursday, the same evening his France team-mates beat Israel.
Tchouameni and Konate backed up comments from their manager Deschamps
“I don’t follow the news of players who are not here, Kylian is following a programme with Real Madrid, I don’t know if he was away or not,” Deschamps said.
“Like any player for his club, he follows a programme. If players have days off, they are free to do what they want
“I’m not just defending him for the sake of it. The issue is that his private life isn’t private.
“That’s not the case for you guys, and you’re fine with that.”
Mbappe had to wear a mask during the Euros due to a broken noseGetty
Mbappe, who has 48 goals for France, managed just one at Euro 2024 (from the penalty spot) after breaking his nose in their first game.
His Madrid commitments prevented him from playing in the Paris Olympics and then he blanked in both Nations League games last month.
A recent poll from Odoxa showed only 54 per cent of the 1,000-plus questioned still had a good opinion of Mbappe – down 12 from 2019.
French outlet Foot Mercato have claimed that the star will only play in important matches for France as he targets the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
Deschamps has insisted Mbappe’s commitment to Les Blues is absoluteAFP
Deschamps hit back at similar reports at the start of the October break, by reaffirming: “There is no concern about his commitment.
“For different reasons, Kylian wasn’t in the best condition psychologically during the last international camp.
“The fact that he is at Real Madrid with significant expectations, the fact he didn’t have a pre-season, few matches – it wasn’t ideal.
“But I don’t have any doubt about Kylian’s commitment,” added the France manager.
