Zinédine Zidane tried to close down the noise around Kylian Mbappé on the eve of France's decisive Nations League match with Türkiye. France were beaten 3-1 by Italy on Thursday, but Zidane said the captain is back in the squad for Sunday's game in Bordeaux at 20:45.
Zidane's message on Mbappé
Speaking to Foot Mercato, Zidane said the relationship with his captain is straightforward. "I have the relationship of a coach with his player and it is going perfectly," he said in comments translated from French. He also dismissed the speculation as "nonsense" and called it "a shame and quite annoying".
That is not the same as pretending Mbappé is just another player. Zidane went on to say, "it changes everything, we prefer to have him than not to have him. There is no problem, he will be with us tomorrow."
The numbers fit that view. Mbappé has 13 goals in 12 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid this season, plus 2 assists. He has also scored 5 goals in his last 5 club matches and 4 goals in 4 Champions League appearances this season.
France's response in Bordeaux
France still need a strong result to finish the Nations League group stage push, and Zidane said his team must respond after the Italy defeat. "We know what we did in Italy. We did good things, but when you lose, there are things that went less well," he said. "Even if one point is enough, our objective is to always win the match, tomorrow. We will have to play a big match."
Lucas Da Cunha backed that view too. The midfielder said Mbappé is "very important for us in the collective" and added that France feel him "with us". Da Cunha has already made 4 Nations League appearances for France, so the comment comes from inside the current setup.
The wider debate about Mbappé's exact role can wait until after France vs Türkiye. What Zidane has made clear is that the captain will be available in Bordeaux on Sunday, with kickoff set for 20:45.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
