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Kylian Mbappé will not play for France this November international break because Les Bleus finishing their UEFA Nations League campaign against Israel and Italy. After the next two weeks, international football will be paused until March next year, with a fresh slate ahead of the French’s 2026 World Cup qualification. But before that, head coach Didier Deschamps will look to guide his players through the two remaining UNL matches and has opted to do so without his captain Mbappe having done so in October after a problematic run of matches in September.
“We had several discussions and I made this decision for this international camp because I think it is better this way,” the World Cup-winning ex-captain explained at a press conference last week after unveiling his latest squad. “I’m not going to argue. What I want to say is two things. First, Kylian wanted to come. Second, it’s not non-sporting issues at play here – there is a presumption of innocence. It’s a The choice which I repeat is a one-off choice for the next two matches.”
Deschamps’ words have been the subject of great speculation and debate, which has not been helped this week a source close to Mbappé is said to have informed L’Equipe that “it is an incorrect or incomplete version of the truth. It is much more complex and to believe that it is simply the coach who decides is incorrect. The most important thing is that Kylian can start playing football again. The rest will follow.”
How have things reached the point where France and Deschamps choose to do without Mbappé, who has had major problems with Real so far?
Real Madrid misery
There’s no denying that the 25-year-old’s time at the Santiago Bernabeu so far has been a major disappointment. Mbappe’s form and fitness have not been great since arriving in the Spanish capital as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain, arriving under a cloud after injuring his nose at UEFA Euro 2024 and being banned from representing his country at the Olympic Games. Games in his hometown by his new employers. While eight goals and two assists so far aren’t that bad in terms of stats, it hasn’t been convincing apart from a run of four games in which he has scored in every appearance and also included an injury that played a part in thwarting of a goal. reunion between Kylian and his brother Ethan as Lille surprisingly defeated OSC Real in the UEFA Champions League. There is hope that Mbappe will one day be back to his best, but there is no guarantee that will happen this calendar year.
France malaise
The former PSG and AS Monaco man is captaining this French side at a difficult time, with the team playing poorly on the pitch and limping through the Nations League after reaching the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2024 despite playing horrible defensive football. Deschamps is clinging to power as head coach and former key man Antoine Griezmann has retired after being Mbappe’s main rival for the captaincy after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when the likes of Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane stepped aside. He is no longer seen as the savior of French football as he is currently unable to match the heights of his achievements until 2023 at both club and international level, and unsurprisingly his shares have plummeted.
“I know 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 to replace Ousmane Dembele PSG not to replace Mbappé by preferring Kingsley from Bayern Munich. Coman instead. “I have set a course that I will stick to and that includes giving playing time to young people with less experience who were satisfactory last time. We must remember that there is a dynamic in the game and that we have three consecutive victories achieved a place in the last eight and the first place to play for.”
Modern football variants
Mbappe, like so many other players, has struggled to maintain his impressive form for club and country since perhaps the 2022 World Cup, when his late heroics almost single-handedly prevented then PSG teammate Lionel Messi and Argentina from becoming champions crowned. publicly, the Frenchman has welcomed the increased frequency of games and the unsustainably high physical demands is asked of players today, but the reality of his performances at home and abroad illustrates a player who struggles to meet the demands placed on him by Deschamps, but also by Carlo Ancelotti.
PSG and off-field problems
A further distraction for Mbappé is the fact that his time at PSG is not yet completely over. a dispute over contractual bonus money becomes messier and more bitter. Not only is the reported amount of money in play staggering, but it has also tarnished the reputation the player wanted to leave behind when he left his home country, which currently appears to be further deteriorating due to the current situation with Les Bleus and Deschamps in particular. Besides PSG, there are also a number of challenges we face including recent rape allegations in Sweden which is just part of his plummeting public opinion and the fact that he has gone from being a champion as a future multi-Ballon d’Or winner to struggling to even make the podium in this latest edition, of which Real teammate Vinicius Junior had expected to win who promoted Real and Mbappe 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 it may not be enough for you (the press), but I will not go into arguments that lead to interpretations. There it is, I don’t want to tell you anything else. I take responsibility for the decision and we I will not go into it, I will speak directly to Kylian. We may not agree on certain issues, but it is my responsibility to make decisions and I have made them before this break.”
Can Mbappé recover in 2025?
Realistically, the current distance between Mbappe and France is unlikely to continue into 2025, as the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for the UEFA nations get underway, plus a likely knockout stage in the Nations League. Gone are the days when the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic seemingly cherry-pick his availability for international duties, something that Mbappe’s brand image in his home country cannot afford. The prospect of Zinedine Zidane taking part in France’s World Cup mission is unlikely given Deschamps’ seemingly bulletproof status, which is further illustrated by this, as well as the fact that Mbappé currently plays much of his football outside France.