The France team will have to do without Kylian Mbappé for their 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Iceland this Monday. Hit in the right ankle during the victory against Azerbaijan (3-0) on Friday, the Real Madrid striker returned to Spain to take exams and was declared out for the rest of the international break.
Deprived of his captain, Didier Deschamps had to appoint a new armband wearer for this trip to the Nordic lands. The coach decided in favor of Mike Maignan, a decision which he explained at a press conference.
Deschamps found a natural leader
“Mike is a leader. Friday when Kylian came out, he was the one who got the armband. He is decisive, available, he is a great competitor, even in training. He's a workaholic, sometimes a little too much for my taste, and someone who is very mature in his mind.”judged the boss of the Blues.
Already last season, Deschamps had to entrust the captaincy to other executives to compensate for the absence of Mbappé. N'Golo Kanté, Ibrahima Konaté and Aurélien Tchouaméni took turns in this role. But this time, none of the three were summoned to the October gathering.
