Former Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé has stirred controversy in France after Didier Deschamps left the 25-year-old out of the group for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium.
Although Mbappé is recovering from a thigh injury, which likely played a role in his omission, it wasn’t the only factor. He was named in the group for PSG’s match against Villarreal and even started the game before the international break.
Nonetheless, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has received more criticism after reports emerged that the Real Madrid forward had been in a nightclub in Sweden on the night of his team’s UEFA Nations League win over Israel.
As a result, RMC Sport’s Jérome Rothen asked Didier Deschamps to remove the captain’s armband from Mbappé.
“He doesn’t realize the message it sends, especially when there’s a France match going on,” Rothen said Friday on Rothen s’enflamme. “But that’s not even the main issue. He’s on a break, he has a few days off, and he’s free to do what he wants. The problem comes when this gets tied to the national team. Poor communication always catches up with you.”
“Be straight with us. He said it was his decision and that he was thinking about the player’s best interest. But if you read between the lines, it means this was agreed with the player because he feels tired.
“You say you need rest, that you want to recharge, but then you send a message to Deschamps, the whole team, and all of France that you don’t really care about the match because you’re not even watching it. You know people will see the images, and it looks like you think you’re above it all.”
“We’ve put him on a pedestal, raised him above the Eiffel Tower in Paris, so he can’t act like this or make mistakes like this. What happened shows that he feels he’s above everything, even Deschamps. But I say to Deschamps: take responsibility and strip him of the captaincy.”
A report from Foot Mercato also reveals that the former PSG standout had already made it clear during the last gathering that he did not wish to participate in this international break with the French team. The forward spoke openly about it, and the French team was aware.
