Didier Deschamps, the head coach of the French national team, has commented on the information circulating about a supposed conflict between him and national team forward Kylian Mbappe.
Deschamps stated, “To defend you, you don’t have information, and when you do, it’s not necessarily accurate. Headlines about ‘sources close to the player’ can mislead you entirely. What happened, happened. Kylian knows this, and I continued to talk with him. There’s nothing more to discuss.”
He added, “Of course, he will be with the national team in March. Why not? He will be called up if nothing happens to him by then. He is very attached to the national team, despite experiencing a difficult personal period. He has regained his physical form, which is evident in his performance.”
Deschamps continued, “He has the right to a period where he isn’t at his best. I have always said that the French national team will always be stronger with him. Then there was the story from Sweden, where the media condemned him and delivered a verdict, but in the end, the Swedish justice system didn’t even question him. He had tough weeks and months. Kylian knows that people will always talk about him. But when it comes to such delicate topics, it’s very challenging,” Deschamps said, as quoted by AS, referencing L’Equipe.
Mbappe, 26, missed the last 4 matches for the French national team in October and November 2024. It was reported in the media at the time that Kylian did not want to play for the national team due to a conflict with Deschamps. In total, he has 48 goals in 86 matches for the national team.
Vihaan Mehrotra