Controversy in France: Camavinga could miss the 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Eduardo Camavinga is going through one of the worst moments of his career, and the timing could not be worse. With 38 days to go before the start of the 2026 World Cup, the Real Madrid midfielder has a serious chance of missing Didier Deschamps’ final squad, according to Téléfoot. The French coach will announce the roster on May 14, and the Madrid man currently appears as the sixth midfielder in the manager’s pecking order, behind Kanté, Koné, Rabiot, Tchouaméni, and Zaïre-Emery. A sharp decline that has sparked controversy in France, and one the player still has time to reverse, although the margin is minimal.

Camavinga’s year at Real Madrid has been difficult from the start. He played 39 matches and logged 2,013 minutes, scored two goals and provided one assist, but his level fell short of expectations. Within the Madrid squad, he ranks as the eleventh player with the most minutes, and in the dressing room the general feeling is that he had more than enough opportunities to show more.

The darkest moment came in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich, when he was sent off for a second yellow card in the closing minutes and left the team with ten men at a critical moment. The incident triggered criticism and further damaged his image both at the club and with the national team.

During the last international window in March, Camavinga was not in the starting lineup against either Brazil or Colombia. It was not a matter of rotation but of hierarchy: Deschamps chose other options. Kanté and Zaïre-Emery moved ahead of him, and Manu Koné, who was not called up on that occasion due to injury, is also expected to reclaim his place in the group.

The versatility that allowed him to get minutes at Qatar 2022 while playing at left-back no longer seems to be a decisive factor. For this World Cup, his defensive options are practically nonexistent with Theo Hernández and Lucas Digne in the picture. And in his natural position in midfield, the competition is fierce.

The end of the season will give him four matches to try to change the situation. With Arda Güler injured and Ceballos not getting much room, Camavinga could get minutes alongside Tchouaméni, Bellingham, and Valverde in Madrid’s final games. A narrow but real window to show Deschamps that he deserves to be in the 26-man squad.

Outside football, the player dealt with a dental infection in early March that doctors recommended surgery for, although he chose not to go through with it so he would not miss important matches, including the tie against Manchester City. A decision that speaks to his commitment, but also adds another layer of physical uncertainty at the worst possible moment.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.