Tchouameni admits playing injured at World Cup, Deschamps faces serious accusations

Aurélien Tchouameni has revealed he played through pain from the third or fourth match of the 2022 World Cup, reviving debate over how Didier Deschamps manages injured players in the France squad.

“From the third or fourth match onwards, and even a bit before, I was in pain,” the Real Madrid midfielder told France 24. “Obviously, it’s a World Cup so you try to put everything in place to be as effective as possible on the pitch. I took risks I might not have taken at another time, but I have no regrets.”

Tchouameni also acknowledged that his performance against Spain — a quarter-final defeat to Rodri, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo — fell short of his usual standard: “No, obviously, it wasn’t the real Aurélien Tchouameni.” He nonetheless stood by his choices, citing discussions with the medical and coaching staff about staying on the field despite his physical condition.

These revelations immediately sparked reactions, particularly because of their similarity to the Samuel Umtiti case at the 2018 World Cup. The former Lyon defender had played through a knee injury, a decision with lasting consequences: his joint never fully recovered, hastening the end of his career at just 30 years old.

“Didier Deschamps has blood on his hands,” accused a Barcelona supporter. “He destroyed Umtiti’s career in 2018 and he apparently hasn’t even learned from his mistakes since he did the same thing with Tchouameni this year. It’s irresponsible and disrespectful to his players.” These harsh comments illustrate the tension now surrounding the physical management of French internationals.

The contrast with Zinedine Zidane’s approach, the new France manager, is striking. He recently justified Tchouameni’s absence from a squad gathering by the need to preserve his recovery process after a knee injury early in the season: “For his recovery process, it was better for him to stay in Madrid and continue his preparation.” A philosophy that stands apart from the practices criticized in his predecessor.