You have to go back in time to find any trace of a list of Didier Deschamps without Kylian Mbappé. The last time was in 2019, when the world champion had already had to give up a rally due to a thigh injury. An absence which, however, did not have the resounding echo of this week, punctuated by controversy. Pointed out, in broad terms, for having favored his club Real Madrid to the detriment of the French team, Mbappé was obviously on the agenda during the press conference this Wednesday, on the eve of Israel – France in Budapest. After speaking on Monday on the FFF social networks, when he calmed things down by recalling that Real Madrid, through its capacity as employer, had a right to review the situation of its player, Didier Deschamps substantially kept the same speech, even if he recognized that this decision could be contrary to his interests and those of the Blues.
“Does the fact that he played this weekend break the relationship of trust with Real? The employer is the club, like you (journalists), when your employer asks you to do an interview with X or Y… The clubs have always had this power, it is not the federations which pay the players, it is factualrecalled the Blues coach. The clubs are attentive, but that can be explained by the calendars they have. It’s not specific to Real or Kylian, because you can see the number of players who are not in their different selections. Is this a good thing for the selections? No. I work with the elements I have because I’m not there to put them at odds with their clubs.»
It’s not good for the France team, admits Deschamps
With the absence of Kylian Mbappé, it is obviously more than one player who is missing, while Antoine Griezmann has ended his international career, and N’Golo Kanté is injured. Which will therefore force Deschamps to review his copy, he who would have liked to have his captain and best player. “Who made the final decision for Kylian? It’s me who takes it with the elements I have. He certainly played the weekend’s match (against Villarreal, 70 minutes), but not in full, and not being 100%… Is that good for the player, and for the team? ‘French team? I don’t think so. There was no request, the decision is mine to make”affirmed DD, thus brushing aside the hypothesis of being under the boot of Florentino Pérez.
On the idea of unease between Kylian Mbappé and France, accentuated after the whistles from Lille during the Champions League meeting between LOSC and Real Madrid, the Bayonnais also gave his opinion. “Everyone is free to have their own feelings. Is he attached to the France team? Yeshe asserted forcefully. Afterwards, you are free to have your own interpretations which may give rise to debates and controversies. It’s like with the captaincy and Griezmann, so much has been written… And it’s very far from reality. I told you at the time of the list, we cannot say that there is the most serene environment possible around the French team, especially since it is a rejuvenated team which can be more sensitive to what is happening outside. You don’t necessarily have all the elements. From the same sentence, you can have four interpretations. The whistles in Lille? But he’s not playing in Lille, it’s Real Madrid who are playing, they’re not going to applaud him, it’s the opponent.» In Budapest, then in Brussels, it is certain that the world champion will, at least, not be whistled.
