Deschamps confirms Mbappe DROPPED by France: It’s better this way

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 7 Nov 2024 13:54 GMT
• 4 min read

France head coach Didier Deschamps has confirmed that he took the decision to drop Kylian Mbappe for the forthcoming Nations League matches against Israel and Italy, compounding the problems that the Real Madrid attacker is suffering early this season.

Mbappe was omitted from the France squad that played in the competition in October at his own request, yet courted controversy when he was spotted in a Stockholm nightclub as his country played.

Now Deschamps has taken the decision to simply drop Mbappe from the squad, despite the forward seeking to hook up with the national team again.

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Kylian Mbappé

F (C)

Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappé

F (C)

Real Madrid

€151.1M

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Speaking to the media, the coach said: “It's my decision, it's better that way. I can understand that it's not enough for the media, but I'm not going to get into an argument that leads to interpretations. I don't want to tell you more; I take responsibility for this decision.

“I had talks with him but I’m not going to get into that. I spoke directly with Kylian. We may not agree on certain things, but it’s my responsibility to make decisions. I made this one for this gathering.

“The main thing is that the decision is made.”

Deschamps was pressed to answer whether it is better for Mbappe, the second most valuable player in the world, to be dropped or better for France.

“It’s better this way,” he simply replied.

There is also the question of the captaincy, which the Real Madrid player has held. Will he keep it in the future?

"Today, that's not a subject," Deschamps said. "The performances... He's part of a collective. Everyone has their own analysis of what they're doing. For later, that'll be later. I'm not going to ask myself a question that's not on the agenda in relation to this November training camp. Everything in its own time."

Why has Mbappe been dropped by France?

Mbappe is thought to be an unpopular figure in the France dressing room due to his attitude, both in terms of how readily he was prepared to drop Les Bleus to feature for Real Madrid last month but also with relation to his lack of leadership.

In particular, his relationship with goalkeeper Mike Maignan is said to be strained, although the AC Milan star previously addressed this prior to the Rossoneri’s victory over Madrid in the Champions League.

“Honestly, there is no problem with Kylian, he knows that,” Maignan said. “We often talk among ourselves.

“He is a quality player, even if he is going through a difficult period at the moment. But the great players respond precisely when they are expected.”

Mbappe’s absence from the France squad simply confirms his recent problems, with the striker facing criticism over his attitude with Real Madrid to such an extent that Thierry Henry claimed that he “can’t get worse”.