Zidane would consider stripping Mbappé of France captaincy, claims Hanouna

Zinédine Zidane is reportedly considering depriving Kylian Mbappé of the France captain’s armband, according to statements made by broadcaster Cyril Hanouna on his show Tout Beau Tout N9uf on W9.

Hanouna claims to have the information “from inside” the French squad. According to him, the “diva” behaviour of the Real Madrid forward is exasperating the manager: “He creates tensions and Zidane is starting to have had enough of him.” The presenter clarifies, however, that the coach has not yet taken the step. “For now, he’s going to leave it with him. But from what I’m hearing from inside, he would very much like to take the armband from him because, for him, he’s not the team captain. He doesn’t unite people around him and the other players aren’t behind him,” he explained.

Hanouna also highlights a very different power dynamic from the one that prevailed under Didier Deschamps: “Deschamps would talk with Mbappé but with Zidane, there’s no discussion. The star is Zidane. The boss isn’t Mbappé.”

Mbappé inherited the armband after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a Deschamps decision that had at the time upset Antoine Griezmann. Since then, his relationship with the new manager has reportedly become much colder.

Absent through a hamstring injury during France’s defeat to Italy (1-3) on Thursday in Milan in the Nations League, Mbappé is hoped for by Zidane for the final group-stage match on Sunday in Bordeaux against Turkey. The question of the captaincy remains, according to Hanouna, unresolved.

These revelations rest exclusively on the claims of Cyril Hanouna, whose sources have not been confirmed by Zidane’s entourage or by the French Football Federation.