Kylian Mbappé, emblematic captain of the French team, found himself at the heart of an unexpected controversy on the eve of the match for third place in an international tournament. According to several sources close to the locker room, the Real Madrid striker asked Didier Deschamps to exclude three Saint-Germain players from the selection for this decisive meeting. This surprising gesture would have created a certain tension between the player and the coach, especially since the request was perceived as an attempted interference in technical choices.
The reasons for this request are not entirely clear, but rumors evoke persistent tensions between Mbappé and certain former PSG teammates. Despite his departure from the Paris club, it seems that unresolved disputes continue to influence his relations with certain members of the national team. The idea of playing alongside these players in such a symbolic match would, according to some witnesses, deeply upset the French striker.
Didier Deschamps, faithful to his reputation as a firm and pragmatic men’s leader, was quick to answer. Faced with the request of his captain, he would have simply pronounced nine words that have quickly become viral among the members of the staff: “Here, this is the French team, not your club. This brief but impactful sentence had the effect of a thunderclap in the locker room. It recalls not only the undisputed authority of the coach, but also the need to pass collective interest before personal disputes.
Mbappé, known for his assertive temperament, would have remained silent for a few moments after this scathing response, perhaps achieving the scope of his request and the firmness of the reaction of Deschamps. Several players welcomed the coach’s position, believing that it made it possible to preserve the unit of the group at a time when cohesion is essential. For many, this scene illustrates the sometimes invisible tensions that cross the major teams, where egos must cohabit for a common goal.
The French Football Federation did not wish to comment on the incident, just recalling that the composition of the team is the exclusive spring of the technical staff. As for Mbappé, he remained discreet in the hours that followed, focusing on the preparation of the match. This episode nevertheless relaunches the debate on the place of stars in a national selection and on the delicate balance that the coaches must maintain between authority and diplomacy. In any case, Deschamps’ response will have marked the spirits: on the ground, only the blue jersey counts.
