Kylian Mbappé confirms ‘disagreements’ with Didier Deschamps | OneFootball

This international break-up marks the return of Kylian Mbappé (26) with Les Bleus. The last time that the Real Madrid forward played for France was in September. He subsequently missed the international breaks in October and November.

The Real Madrid forward was present during the September international break without truly wanting to be. “I had a discussion with the manager (Didier Deschamps) in September where I asked him not to select me. I wasn’t good, I had barely had any holidays. He insisted that I come and that went well,” he told Clique TV in an interview, broadcast on Sunday.

Mbappé’s absence from the international set-up was kept very much under wraps with Didier Deschamps failing to provide an explanation as to why he did not call up his captain.

The reasons for his continued absence remained vague. Deschamps refused to go into details but said that it was nothing to do with “non-sporting” matters, alluding to reports that Mbappé was a suspect in a suspected rape investigation in Sweden. The France captain was on holiday in Stockholm at the time of the alleged event. The investigation has since been closed.

Mbappé retains captaincy

In the absence of clarity, rumours emerged of a rift between Deschamps and Mbappé. The latter has now evoked these rumours in an interview with Le Parisien. “If there was a rift, I wouldn’t have answered his calls. Everyone knows me – if there is a rift with someone, I don’t stay in contact. I don’t know how to pretend. That doesn’t mean that, in a relationship, there are never disagreements. Even if I don’t want any, there are still some,” began the France captain.

He added, “I have my education – I always had respect and gratitude for the manager and I will never lose that respect. He has been my only manager with the France team. These aren’t secrets but disagreements that people don’t need to know about.”

Deschamps has already confirmed that Mbappé, despite his extended absence from the national team set-up, will retain the captaincy.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle