Dembélé dismisses tension rumours with Mbappé: "We sit next to each other at the table"

Ousmane Dembélé put an end, at least publicly, to rumours of tension with Kylian Mbappé during a press conference held during France’s training camp under Zinédine Zidane. Captain in the absence of the Real Madrid player, the PSG forward chose restraint to close the debate.

For several weeks, reports from Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and the French team’s inner circle had fuelled speculation about friction between the two men, linked to their rivalry for the Ballon d’Or. Dembélé’s comment that he was not “the chosen one” and had to “work” to reach his level — interpreted by some as a dig at Mbappé — had contributed to fuelling the controversy.

“All these stories, I don’t comment on them, I don’t want to comment. These are little wars on social media, at 29 years old I don’t comment. I focus on the pitch,” Dembélé told journalists.

When asked more directly about the state of his friendship with Mbappé, the former Barcelona player provided a concrete detail: “We talked. We sit next to each other at the table. There’s no problem.” The deliberately laconic phrasing implicitly confirms that the two players needed to talk, while signalling that the situation has been resolved.

On the pitch, Zidane’s early days leading the French national team have gone smoothly: two wins in two matches, and apparent cohesion in the squad. The coexistence between Dembélé and Mbappé, two of Europe’s most decisive forwards this season, remains one of the issues to watch in the coming weeks.