Kylian Mbappe (26, Real Madrid) has been left out of France’s roster.
The French Football Federation (FFF) announced the 23-man squad for the two November A matches on its official social media channels on Sunday. France will face Israel at home on Nov. 15 and Italy away on Nov. 18 in the fifth and sixth rounds of the Nations League Ligue A Group 2.
Interestingly, France captain Mbappe’s name is not on the list. Mbappe was left out of France’s roster for the second consecutive time in October, when they played two matches against Belgium and Israel.
According to the BBC, France head coach Didier Deschamps said in a press conference that Mbappe was left off the roster, “I spoke to him. “I spoke to him, I looked at the schedule and it was my decision,” he said, adding that Mbappe wanted to come.
Mbappe has been underwhelming for Real of late. After scoring eight goals in 15 league games, he has scored just one goal in his last five games. Mbappe’s recent form and psychology may have been a factor in Deschamps’ decision not to call him up.
Real won the UEFA Champions League and La Liga last season, but since Mbappe’s arrival, their form has dropped off. In fact, Real suffered a crushing 0-4 loss in the El Clasico against Barcelona last month.
Some pundits have even suggested that Real’s signing of Mbappe is the problem. Even French legend Thierry Henry criticized Mbappe, saying that his No. 9, 파워볼사이트 Judd Bellingham, was trying to break down the line, not Mbappe.
Mbappe’s absence from the October roster was due to injury.
Mbappe suffered a leg complaint in the seventh round of La Liga against Deportivo Alaves before the squad was announced and missed the following match against Atletico Madrid.
However, Mbappe started both of Real’s games after the French squad was announced, which led to a lot of criticism from fans. It seemed that Mbappe was feigning illness to avoid being included in the squad.
What’s more, Mbappe fueled the controversy himself. Mbappe requested a vacation from Real and visited a nightclub in Sweden, despite not being called up to the squad. It happened to be on the same day as the French national team’s match.
The nightclub in Stockholm where Mbappe went was the scene of a sexual assault. Some Swedish media even claimed that Mbappe was under police investigation as a suspect in the sexual assault.