”The coach of the French national team has confirmed Kylian Mbappé as captain once again. The Real Madrid striker, absent from the gatherings in October and November, will don the captain’s armband for the Nations League quarter-finals.“
Kylian Mbappé has been summoned to rejoin the France national squad for the Nations League quarterfinal against Croatia, set for next Thursday.
Coach Didier Deschamps revealed the team, affirming that Mbappé will be the captain for the match in Split, with the second leg occurring three days afterward at the Stade de France.
There were doubts about Mbappé’s leadership, but Deschamps has confirmed he will keep the position. “I talked to him and went over it with him,” Deschamps mentioned. “He is going to be captain.”
The 2018 World Cup winner was absent from the Nations League games against Israel and Italy last November, and Deschamps remarked that it was for the best, referencing Mbappé’s physical and mental difficulties.
He also skipped an earlier team meeting because of a slight thigh injury, yet he still played for Real Madrid.
His final match for Les Bleus was on September 9 versus Belgium in the Nations League.
Mbappé netted a hat trick in the 2022 World Cup final and, at the age of 26, holds the third spot on France’s all-time scoring chart with 48 goals, behind Thierry Henry (51) and Olivier Giroud (57).
In December, a rape probe in Stockholm involving Mbappé, as reported by Swedish media, was concluded.
In a recent interview with French TV channel Canal Plus, Mbappé voiced his astonishment at the reports, mentioning he had not been approached by Swedish officials during his stay in Stockholm.
In additional squad news, Deschamps has selected 19-year-old Paris Saint-Germain winger Désiré Doué for his inaugural call-up.
