Mbappé ruled out against Italy: Hanouna accuses Zidane of disciplinary sanction, manager denies

Kylian Mbappé did not play in the Nations League showdown between France and Italy at San Siro, officially due to a hamstring complaint. But broadcaster Cyril Hanouna offered a radically different account on Wednesday evening, claiming that the France captain was benched by Zinédine Zidane as a disciplinary measure.

On his show, Hanouna argued that Mbappé’s absence stemmed from a lack of motivation rather than a genuine physical problem. “Kylian Mbappé doesn’t feel like playing. He’s not really into it. The match against Italy, they don’t really care because it’s the Nations League, it’s not that important a match,” he said, adding that faced with a wave of withdrawals in the squad, the player “said ‘forget it’”.

The broadcaster went further, describing a tense dressing room: “Things are really heating up with Kylian Mbappé in the France squad, it’s going very badly with his teammates.” He also contrasted Didier Deschamps’ methods with those of the new manager: “Didier Deschamps was extremely nice to Kylian Mbappé, he let his whims slide a bit more. But Zinédine Zidane doesn’t joke around. Kylian Mbappé acted a bit like a diva, Zinédine Zidane told him: ‘you know what, you’re not playing’.”

This account starkly contrasts with the official communication from the French staff. At a press conference in San Siro, Zidane stuck to a strictly medical narrative, confirming a hamstring complaint and stating that no risks would be taken. The manager also praised his captain’s attitude, who chose to remain with the squad in Italy — unlike Aurélien Tchouaméni, Marcus Thuram and Pierre Kalulu, who returned home to recover — hoping to play Sunday against Turkey in Bordeaux.

“I think he’s in good shape. The proof is he’s staying with us. He wants to play on Sunday. He’s not happy, what I mean is he would have liked to play tomorrow too,” Zidane insisted, dismissing any notion of a disciplinary sanction. The two versions are thus at odds, with no additional factual evidence available at this stage to settle the matter.