Incident in France: Adrien Rabiot Infuriates Zidane’s Staff

From an undisputed starter to a player under scrutiny: Adrien Rabiot has come under fire in France following the match against Belgium. Among the most criticized players following the draw against Italy in Saint-Denis, the Milan midfielder started on the bench against the Red Devils and didn’t enter the game until the final minutes.

According to RMC, one incident reportedly sparked the anger of Zinedine Zidane’s staff, who had asked him to warm up to enter the game in the closing minutes. The player allegedly slowed down his warm-up, lacing his cleats at a very slow pace. Zizou’s staff reprimanded him, urging him to get ready more quickly.

Rabiot then entered the game in the 88th minute, replacing Camavinga; France ultimately won 3-1. Always a starter under Didier Deschamps, the former Juventus and PSG midfielder is no longer as certain of his spot under Zidane, who started him only against Turkey and Italy but not in the two matches against Belgium.

In particular, the French press is pushing for more consistent playing time for Da Cunha and Camavinga, at the expense of the 31-year-old Rossoneri player. Rabiot, however, has spoken highly of Zidane from the national team’s training camp: “There are many positive things. He’s asking us to do different things, like pressing immediately to win the ball back quickly, playing a lot of one-on-ones, and showing great team spirit. We’re really showing a lot in that regard—even the forwards are running a lot. It was a good game against Italy.”