Kylian Mbappe has reiterated his commitment to representing France, despite being left out of their last two squads.
The 25-year-old forward, currently playing for Real Madrid, has earned 86 caps for France. He helped lead the team to victory in the 2018 World Cup and scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final, though France lost to Argentina.
Mbappe is also the team’s captain, but he was excluded from the France squad in October as a precaution after returning from injury, and then again in November for reasons that have not been clearly explained.
“The French team has always been the pinnacle of football for me. It’s the national team, and I’ve always said that nothing is more important. My love for the French team hasn’t changed,” Mbappe told Canal+. “You serve your country, and that’s it.”
Having scored 48 goals for his country, Mbappe struggled in Euro 2024, managing only one competitive goal and playing much of the tournament with a broken nose.
France head coach Didier Deschamps described the decision to omit Mbappe for the November Nations League matches as a “one-off.”
“I can’t talk about November because it was a decision from the coach, and I’ll support what he said,” Mbappe remarked. “I fully respect his decision because he is the boss. I wanted to go, but I can’t say why.”
Although Mbappe has yet to hit his peak form since his summer transfer to Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain, he has still managed to score 11 goals in 21 appearances for the Spanish club.
