Mbappé isolated in France squad after misjudging relationship with Dembélé

Kylian Mbappé endured a difficult international break with France at the end of September, marked by noticeable isolation and persistent tension with Ousmane Dembélé, according to reports from L’Équipe.

The sports daily recalls that the France captain has “never been a unifying personality”, traditionally relying on a close circle of club teammates. Dembélé, meanwhile, had been playing the role of intermediary between Mbappé and the rest of the squad. It is precisely this link that weakened in the weeks leading up to the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony, won by Rodri.

The Real Madrid forward reportedly made a misjudgement in believing that the rift with Dembélé belonged to the past. He also deemed his international teammate’s reaction towards him “disproportionate”, a clearly inaccurate reading of the situation. The atmosphere around Mbappé during this gathering was described as “particular”.

During the five days spent with the Blues before leaving the squad through injury, Mbappé appeared “less at ease” and attempted to meet separately with several squad members. These approaches were interpreted by some staff members or players “as a form of opportunism”. Tensions between the two camps would moreover continue “in private”.

Zinédine Zidane, who announced Friday his squad of twenty-three players for the two Ligue des Nations matches in November, was scarcely questioned on the subject during his press conference. The question of internal cohesion nonetheless remains as France approaches a decisive international window for the Blues.