Didier Deschamps Omits Kylian Mbappe From France’s Squad Amid Poor Form

Real Madrid superstar and French captain Kylian Mbappe has been unexpectedly left out of the latest Les Bleus squad. France’s head coach Didier Deschamps clarified that this is a "one-time" decision, noting that Mbappe was eager to play. Now, Les Bleus are tasked with facing Israel and Italy in the Nations League without their talismanic captain.

Deschamps’ decision to leave out Mbappe from France’s squad took many by surprise. After all, he’s the current national team captain. However, when considering his recent performances, one can’t blame Deschamps for leaving Mbappe out. The 25-year-old has endured severe criticism for his lackluster performances for Real Madrid. Marketed as the biggest Real Madrid signing since Cristiano Ronaldo, Mbappe has failed to live up to the hype and expectations of the Madridistas. Los Blancos’ underwhelming season has only compounded matters for the Frenchman, as they now trail Barcelona by nine points in La Liga and sit in a disappointing 18th place in the Champions League standings. 

Mbappe’s poor form, coupled with the added pressure of being a Galactico, might explain Deschamps’ decision to leave his captain out. During a recent press conference, the French head coach gave his reasoning behind Mbappé's omission. He said, “I've had discussions with him, it is a decision that I took for this block of matches only. Kylian wanted to come." Deschamps added further, "We may not agree on everything. These are discussions I can have with the players. I'm not here to be told by the players that I'm the best and the most handsome. I listen to them. I've always been inspired by these discussions, whether individual or collective, protecting all the players. That's why I can have many discussions that can go beyond the sphere of the pitch, because they know very well that we know who has spoken if something comes up. These exchanges are important to me. With the advantage of hindsight, calm and as much clarity as possible, I make the decisions that seem best to me." 

Despite the criticism, Kylian Mbappe has scored six goals and provided one assist in ten games for Real Madrid. However, it’s his lack of understanding with other Madrid stars like Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham that has frustrated most fans. During the recent El Clasico – in which Barcelona humbled Madrid by a scoreline of 4-0 at the Bernabeu – Mbappe was caught offside a career-high eight times. The Frenchman’s poor showings for Real Madrid come after his decision to skip France’s Nations League ties against Israel and Belgium in October, while being available to play for Real Madrid. Now, he will miss four straight international games as France’s captain. In Mbappe’s absence, Deschamps has decided to give the armband to N’Golo Kante. The 33-year-old midfielder will captain his nation in games against Israel on 14th November and Italy on 17th November.