Kylian Mbappé: No Italy-France Match—Here’s Why Zinedine Zidane Chose Not to Play Him

Kylian Mbappé will not be on the field against Italy, but France’s head coach, Zinedine Zidane, has dismissed rumors of a rift between the two in the locker room on the eve of the Nations League match. Zidane explained that the French captain felt some muscle discomfort and that the Federation decided from the outset not to take any risks.

“Mbappé won’t be playing against Italy,” Zizou explained. “He felt a slight twinge, and as always, we prefer not to take any risks. Of course, it’s an unfortunate situation, but it’s part of the game. In any case, he’ll stay with us at training camp, and I hope to have him available on Sunday against Turkey. The policy we’ve agreed upon with the Federation is to take no risks, regardless of whether it’s Mbappé or any other player.”

Zidane then explained that Mbappé accepted the decision, though he said he was disappointed not to be able to take the field against Italy: “If there had been other reasons for his absence, he wouldn’t have stayed with the team,” said the French coach. Of course, he’s not happy about not playing, but it’s our duty not to take any risks. The injury should be minor—at least I hope so—which is why he’s stayed with us.”

Mbappé isn’t the only one who will have to sit out the Italy-France match. Aurelien Tchouameni and Marcus Thuram will also be unavailable, even though the Real Madrid midfielder and the Inter forward have left training camp. “It’s a slightly different situation,” said Zidane. “For them, there wasn’t even a chance they’d play in the second match. They had no choice but to leave training camp: in cases like this, they need to recover at home. I understand their desire to be there, but we have to be cautious. It’s a long season.”