Jérôme Rothen Critiques Kylian Mbappé Once Again

There’s fresh controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappé, who was rested for the French national team’s match against Azerbaijan but was spotted in Dubai. This has sparked speculation about a potential diplomatic rift involving the player. Jérôme Rothen addressed this issue on his show Rothen s’enflamme on RMC Sport and did not hold back his criticism.

“It shocks me. I stand by that. This isn’t just about Mbappé. I hold the captain of any team responsible; I would criticize a captain from any country. What I don’t understand is how Deschamps allows this to happen. Either he is in agreement with Mbappé, and he gets to do as he pleases, or he needs to explain himself. Can Deschamps really allow this? Besides the disrespect towards the coach, there’s the fact that it’s a longer flight to Azerbaijan, which means less care for the team. Furthermore, it’s disrespectful that he, as captain, opted out of going to Azerbaijan simply because it didn’t suit him, while other players, who also play 60 or 70 matches a season, went. This reflects the attitude of this new generation. Playing for the French national team, regardless of the opponent, should be a source of pride. I struggle to accept these behaviors. And he doesn’t even try to hide it. Like in Sweden, and he didn’t go to Iceland claiming to have an ankle injury, then trained three days later. Now he has a minor injury after his impressive performance against Ukraine. He scored a penalty and assisted a goal against easy competition, which was fantastic! But it’s Mbappé, and no one can criticize him! People say I’m fixated. As captain of the French team, you need to trust your coach and deliver,” the former midfielder expressed passionately. The message is clear.