Kylian Mbappe has admitted that he misses being with the France national soccer team and has put the onus on head coach Didier Deschamps for his recent omissions from the last two international squads. The Real Madrid star has not had the best of starts to life in Spain and it has impacted his availability to the French cause with the skipper not featuring since early September when he was far from fully fit post-UEFA Euro 2024.
“Yes, I miss it because I have not been there for a long time,” Mbappe told Canal+ in a rare interview appearance. “In September, I asked the coach not to go. I had just arrived in Madrid. I had a very short vacation. The coach insisted that I go. After October, I got injured and I was not on the list — I was talking to them and the coach told me it was better not to call me up. He is the boss and I am behind him. I wanted to go, but I cannot say why they did not call me.”
Deschamps made his position on Mbappe clear before the final international break of 2024 which came at a time when the former Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco man was facing intense scrutiny for his poor form with Real but also allegations of rape in Sweden. The 25-year-old last scored for France in late June at the Euros while he was still under contract with PSG and his most recent outing with Les Bleus was 23 minutes in a 2-0 UEFA Nations League win over Belgium.
“We had several discussions and I made this decision for this international camp because I feel that it is better this way,” Deschamps explained last month before a 0-0 draw with Israel and a 3-1 win over Italy. “I am not going to argue. What I will say is two things. First of all, Kylian wanted to come. Second, it is not non-sporting issues that are coming into play here — presumption of innocence exists. It is a choice which I repeat is a one-off for these next two games.”
Heading into 2025, the expectation is that Mbappe will return so long as his previous troubles are put in the rearview mirror with the Real man keen to move on from sporting disappointments as well as his off-field distractions. On top of the FIFA 2022 World Cup final loss, the French lost out to eventual winners Spain in the Euros and Mbappe has not been part of the UNL recovery which could yet bring silverware next year as the 2026 World Cup qualifiers get underway.
“I had moments when I was tired but I was not depressed,” said Mbappe of the physical and mental demands on players like himself currently. “There are people who are very depressed, we have to help them. At one point I felt exhausted because I had not rested. I have had sporting disappointments but the other thing is just talking for the sake of talking which is free.
“At the moment we have reached two finals of which one did not work out. We have to reestablish some order. It is a bit complicated but we have always known how to do it and how to get back to the right place. If I manage to get two stars out of the three on the jersey, it would not be bad.”
Mbappe also reflected on some less memorable memories with the France national team such as his role in Les Bleus’ exit from Euro 2020 which saw him come in for stinging criticism and abuse after the surprise loss to Switzerland. However, the man from Bondy denied that it has ever influenced his commitment to representing his country of birth and competing for international titles.
“At Euro 2021, they lied from the first to the last day and they called me a monkey while they put the responsibility for some failures on me,” he said. “It is the French national team and I have always given my all. You serve your country and that is it – it is writing for the sake of writing and talking to hurt you and to make you unhappy. I always put the French national team at the highest level. I did everything I could to represent it as well as possible. I broke my nose and people tell you that they do not care about you and that you focus more on Madrid than on France. I do not give up, though.”
Mbappe and his Real Madrid teammates face Atalanta BC in the UEFA Champions League this Tuesday needing to turn around a complicated situation which sees the defending champions hovering over the elimination places right now. France will also learn their 2026 World Cup qualification opponents this coming Friday which could go a long way towards dictating the urgency of Mbappe and Deschamps getting back onto the same page regarding Les Bleus and the talisman’s captaincy of his country.
