Rabiot warms up without boots and 'drives Zidane's staff crazy' against Belgium

Adrien Rabiot spoiled an otherwise near-perfect evening for Zinedine Zidane’s staff. During France’s 4-1 victory over Belgium on Monday night at Stade de France, the AC Milan midfielder annoyed the new manager by dragging his feet before coming on in the 88th minute.

According to Jean-Louis Tourre, a commentator present at Stade de France, Rabiot showed up for his warm-up without his boots and at a pace deemed far too slow. “He warmed up at a snail’s pace, he didn’t have his boots on, it drove the France team’s staff crazy because they couldn’t understand why he was warming up so slowly,” he reported.

The incident came as the Blues had just pulled off a spectacular comeback: trailing in the first half, they turned the tables on Belgium thanks in particular to decisive substitutions from Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki, thus concluding the first gathering of the Zidane era on a positive note.

The “Duke’s” attitude immediately fuelled debate over his place in the setup. Pundit Daniel Riolo was blunt: “We need to turn the page on Rabiot, bring in Da Cunha in front of defence and Camavinga into this team. In midfield, I don’t see what he brings. I want someone with more energy, more rhythm changes, I prefer Camavinga and Manu Koné.”

Zidane’s position on the matter remains ambiguous, however: the manager named Rabiot among his four captains upon taking office, a sign that he was counting on, at least initially, on the experience of the 31-year-old midfielder. How he handles this issue will be one of the first tests of his authority with the Blues.