The exclusion of French star Kylian Mbappé from the France squad ahead of UEFA Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium has surprised many, especially the fans, which prompted Didier Deschamps to react.
At the unveiling of his squad, the France boss said that the decision not to call up Mbappé had been made in conjunction with the player and his club, Real Madrid.
According to him, the 25-year-old’s absence would allow him to fully recover from an injury he suffered before the international break.
Deschamps added that he didn’t doubt his captain’s “commitment” to the national team set-up.
Meanwhile, the Real Madrid star, who appeared off the bench against Lille OSC in the UEFA Champions League for the Los Merengue, was in the starting line against Villarreal at the weekend.
Some in the France set-up were intrigued to see that Mbappe will not feature for Les Bleus this week, having started in a La Liga fixture following the omission from the squad.
In their reaction to the development, Irrésistibles Français, the leading France supporters group, told L’Équipe that the rea French captain ignited by the fans has left. This is about the exit of Antoine Griezmann from the national team, who appeared to be fans’ choice.
“We asked ourselves if the choice of captain was the right one, and with this episode, I don’t know. There has been an error somewhere whilst we have lost an exemplary model.”
The group, which wondered if it was a communication issue between the parties involved said it isn’t normal, as a captain for Mbappe to be omitted.
“Either Real Madrid have asked him to shut up, or France, but we know that when he wants to speak, he speaks; he should assume his captaincy. I won’t go so far as to say that we feel as though we’ve been played the fool, and I don’t know by whom. But it is a week to forget, and it will be difficult because it will leave traces.”
In a related development, the latest national survey has shown that Mbappe’s omission from the squad and the scandal it created has affected his popularity, which had dropped significantly since his summer move from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid.
Regarding Griezmann, who has hung his booth for the national, the manager said they had a good relationship.
The Atletico man seemed to be disappointed after not being appointed the captain after the retirement of the older players in the team.
