France boss Deschamps launches stern defence of ‘dictator’ Kylian Mbappé | OneFootball

France national team head coach Didier Deschamps has this weekend thrown his full backing behind star striker and captain Kylian Mbappé.

This comes amid ongoing suggestions of the attacker having taken on the role of ‘dictator’ in the French dressing room.

Mbappé is of course fresh off another match-winning performance in the colours of Les Bleus on Saturday night. En route to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay, the 27-year-old notched his country’s only goal from the penalty spot.

And yet, recent days have seen chatter surrounding Mbappé’s behaviour away from the pitch continue to dominate the headlines in many circles.

The Real Madrid man has repeatedly been accused of dominating the discourse in the France camp, through force and reputation alike.

Speaking to the media in the aftermath of his side’s latest victory, the aforementioned Didier Deschamps was therefore drawn on Mbappé’s role in his squad once more.

And the tactician made use of the opportunity to fire back at the media, assuring:

“You guys make Kylian Mbappé seem like a dictator… the reality is the opposite. His public image does not reflect reality at all. Kylian has always been mature and the whole team follows him.

“I am so happy to have Kylian as captain. Whenever he speaks on and off the pitch, he represents the whole group.”

Conor Laird – GSFN