On June 16, the selection of France will have its debut against the 2026 World Cup against Senegal, and expectations fall on its most important figures, one of them is Kylian Mbappé.
In the midst of France’s preparation for its World Cup debut, one of the most relevant forwards in the world and from Real Madrid he has received criticism, in addition to high expectations about their performance.
Many point out that Mbappé will not perform in the 2026 World Cup, not only because of Real Madrid’s previous season where they failed to get a titlebut for the other stars that the selection has, like Ousmane Dembelé and Michael Olise.
Faced with these criticisms, the France coach, Didier Deschamps gave statements to defend Mbappé and where he reaffirmed his trust in the forward.
One of the moments that made an impression in Deschamps’ statements was when he said that “it must have been stupid” of placing the striker in the central position, as well as other positions, such as left back.
“I must be stupid, and there must have been a lot of stupid coaches who have put him at the center of the attack“said Deschamps to the surprise of those present.
Furthermore, Deschamps’ statements happen after an alleged atmosphere of tension was reported in the France locker room.
This is because there are rumors that Ousmane Dembelé would have demanded a greater commitment from Kylian Mbappé and performance so that it can be aligned with the team’s commitment.
The alleged tension was increased by a video in which the relationship between Mbappé and N’Golo Kanté and how it was allegedly broken.
Despite the criticism and accusations against Mbappé, his numbers support him as one of the most lethal forwards in recent times. In the last season with Real Madrid, the Frenchman contributed 42 goals in 44 games.
In addition, Mbappé will seek to become Les Bleus’ top scorer, position currently occupied by Olivier Giroud, with 56 goals.
Also read: France has the most valuable squad in the 2026 World Cup and exceeds US$1.5 billion