Overview
- Ousmane Dembélé publicly called the criticism of Mbappé “very, very unfair” on Friday, saying commentators have gone too far and that Mbappé remains a leader inside the France dressing room.
- Kylian Mbappé told French TV he is pressing coach Didier Deschamps to step away from national-team jobs after the tournament and described the idea of Deschamps taking the Italy role as “awful.”
- Mbappé has stressed a team-first stance ahead of the opener, famously saying he would gladly sign for France to win the World Cup even if he scored no goals.
- The captain arrives under heavy club-level scrutiny after a trophyless 2025–26 at Real Madrid, where he scored prolifically but endured fan jeers and an online petition calling for his sale.
- Deschamps has confirmed he will leave after the 2026 World Cup, a transition the squad wants to mark with success and which has prompted public talk about successors such as Zinedine Zidane.