Ousmane Dembélé has dismissed talk of a problem with Kylian Mbappé, and France are publicly treating the Ballon d'Or noise as exactly that, noise. Zinédine Zidane has also backed his forward, while France prepare for Monday's home game against Belgium.
Zidane's view of Dembélé
Speaking to A Bola, in comments translated from Portuguese, Zidane said: "Ousmane is Ousmane, I'm happy with him, he moves a lot on the pitch and often leaves his position. I don't have much to point out to him."
That lines up with the way Dembélé described the role. He said the coach has put him in the same position he plays at Barcelona, adding that he can play anywhere and that the freedom comes with responsibility: he knows he has to score and make assists.
The usage has not yet translated into output in France's recent games. In his last three matches against Türkiye, Belgium and Italy, Dembélé played 201 minutes, had only three shots on target and finished without a goal or assist.
The rift talk and the numbers
Dembélé has also tried to cut off the speculation directly. "We have spoken. We are next to each other on the table. There isn’t a problem," he said, and the same line was repeated more bluntly in another interview: "Problems with Kylian Mbappe? There is nothing going on."
Mbappé's own framing helped fuel the debate, with the pair's comments about being seen differently doing the rounds, but the public line from France is still one of calm rather than conflict. Dembélé scored six goals at the 2026 World Cup, then moved from the right wing to striker or false 9 under Zidane.
That switch has changed what France ask of him, and the contrast is clear enough. He is on 13 goals in 70 caps for France, yet the recent three-game spell brought no end product at all.
Monday's meeting with Belgium is the next chance to see whether the public reset carries over onto the pitch.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
