Kylian Mbappé will not play for France this November international break as Les Bleus finish their UEFA Nations League campaign against Israel and Italy. After this next international fortnight, international football will take a break until next March with a new calendar ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification for the French. Before that, however, coach Didier Deschamps will attempt to guide his players through UNL’s two remaining matches and opted to do so without captain Mbappé in October after a series of problematic matches in September.
“We had several conversations and I made this decision for this international camp because I feel it is better this way,” the former World Cup-winning captain explained at a press conference last week after presenting his latest selection. “I’m not going to argue. What I will say are two things. First: Kylian wanted to come. Second: it is not non-sporting issues that come into play here; there is the presumption of innocence. It is a choice, I repeat, it is unique for these two next games.”
Deschamps’ words have been the subject of great speculation and debate which has not been helped this week by a source close to Mbappé who reportedly informed L’Equipe that “it is an incorrect or incomplete version of the truth. It is much more complex and “Believing that it is simply the coach’s decision is false. The most important thing is that Kylian can play football again. The rest will come later.”
So how have things reached this point where France and Deschamps choose to do without Mbappé, who until now is in great difficulty with Real Madrid?
Real Madrid problems
There is no doubt that the 25-year-old’s stay at the Santiago Bernabéu has been a huge disappointment. Mbappé’s form and fitness have not been great since his arrival in the Spanish capital as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain and he arrived under a cloud after injuring his nose at UEFA Euro 2024 and failing to represent his country in the Olympic Games. Games in his hometown by his new employers. Although eight goals and two assists so far is not that bad in terms of statistics, he has not been convincing, apart from a four-match streak in which he scored in each outing and there was also an injury that helped to thwart a reunion between Kylian and his brother Ethan when Lille OSC surprisingly beat Real in the UEFA Champions League. There are hopes that Mbappé will return to his best at some point, but there is no guarantee that will happen this calendar year.
unrest in france
The former PSG and AS Monaco player captains this French team at a difficult time, with the team playing poorly on the field and limping through the Nations League after having reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2024 despite play atrocious football with a defensive mentality. Deschamps is clinging to power as head coach and former key man Antoine Griezmann retired after having been Mbappé’s main rival for the captain’s armband after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when the likes of Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane stepped up. one side. No longer considered the savior of French football, as he is currently unable to replicate the heights of his performances until 2023, both at club and international level, his stock has unsurprisingly plummeted.
“I know that things will recover, but I won’t tell you more than that for the simple reason that we have this international break with two games ahead of us,” added Deschamps, who opted not to replace PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé with Mbappé, favoring Kingsley of Bayern Munich. Comán instead. “I have set a path for us that I stick to and that includes giving playing time to the less experienced youngsters who were satisfied last time. We must not forget that there is a dynamic at play and we are on three consecutive victories with a place among the eight finalists and the first place to play for.
Strains of modern football
Mbappé, like so many other players, has struggled to maintain his impressive form for club and country since arguably the 2022 World Cup, when his late heroics almost single-handedly prevented his then PSG teammate Lionel Messi, and Argentina will be crowned champions. In public, The Frenchman welcomed the increased frequency of matches and the unsustainably high physical demands. It is imposed on players these days, but the reality of his performances at international and domestic level illustrate a player struggling to keep up with the demands placed on him by Deschamps but also by Carlo Ancelotti.
PSG and off-field problems
Another distraction that Mbappé must deal with is the fact that his time with PSG is not yet behind him. A dispute over contractual bonus money becomes more complicated and acrimonious.. It’s not just that the reported sums of money at stake are mind-boggling, but they have tarnished the reputation that the player hoped to leave intact when he left his homeland, which currently appears to be deteriorating further with the current situation with Les Bleus and Deschamps in particular. . In addition to PSG, there are also a number of challenges to face, including recent rape accusations in Sweden Which is just part of his plummet from popular opinion and the fact that he has gone from being championed as a future multi-Ballon d’Or winner to fighting to even get on the podium in this latest edition that his teammate was expected to win. of Real Vinicius Junior. which caused Real and Mbappé to skip the ceremony.
“I repeat that it is my decision because it is better this way,” Deschamps emphasized when pressed on the issue of Mbappé. “I can understand that maybe it is not enough for you (the press), but I am not going to go into arguments that give rise to interpretations. There it is, I don’t want to tell you anything more. I take responsibility for the decision and we discussed it. No “I’m going to get into that. I speak directly with Kylian. We may not agree on certain issues, but it is my responsibility to make decisions and that was the one I made for this break.”
Can Mbappé recover in 2025?
Realistically, the current rift between Mbappé and France is unlikely to continue into 2025, with 2026 World Cup qualifiers beginning for UEFA nations, plus a likely elimination in the Nations League knockout stage. . Gone are the days when the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic seemingly chose their availability for international duty, something Mbappé’s brand image in his homeland cannot afford. The possibility of Zinedine Zidane being involved in France’s World Cup chase is unlikely given Deschamps’ seemingly bulletproof status, which is further illustrated by this, as well as the fact that Mbappe is playing much of of his football outside France at the moment.
