Mbappé again not selected for the France squad

France’s national soccer coach Didier Deschamps is surprisingly without superstar Kylian Mbappé for the end of the Nations League group phase. “I have had discussions with him and made this decision, it is better this way,” said Deschamps when announcing the squad for the games against Israel on November 14th and in the top duel with Italy three days later.

The previously ailing Real Madrid striker had not taken part in the previous two international matches of the Équipe Tricolore in October against Israel (4:1) and Belgium (2:1), although he had already been back in action for Real at that time . Mbappé (25) preferred to train in Madrid in consultation with Deschamps and Real coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Deschamps: There’s no reason to fuss off the pitch

During this time, however, France’s captain also traveled privately to Stockholm. In mid-October, media reports became public about investigations into a rape in Sweden, which Mbappé is defending himself against. “He knows that he has absolutely nothing to blame himself for,” his lawyer Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard told broadcaster TF1. He announced that he would file a complaint for defamation or making a trumped-up crime. “Kylian wanted to come, it’s not due to non-sporting problems,” Deschamps now confirmed.