Kylian Mbappe has been left out of the France squad to face Israel and Italy in the Nations League, with coach Didier Deschamps saying the player “wanted to come” and join the team.
Deschamps did not say whether Mbappe, who played with Real Madrid against AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, was injured, arguing his choice was a “one-off decision.”
Mbappe, 25, has scored 48 goals in 86 games for France and is their third leading scorer of all time.
France have won three of their four games in Nations League Group A2, losing 3-1 at home to Italy in September.
𝐋𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄 pour le dernier rassemblement de l’année de nos Bleus 📋
Félicitations à Lucas Chevalier pour sa première dans le groupe 🇫🇷🙌#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/RIS2oyWvAA
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) November 7, 2024
“It’s my responsibility to make decisions. I think it’s better that way,” Deschamps said.
“What I can tell you are these two things. One, that Kylian wanted to come. And two, it’s not the extra sporting problems that come into play. It’s a one-off choice for this gathering.”
Mbappe missed the last international break with a thigh injury and has scored six goals in 10 league games since joining Madrid in the summer.
