- Kylian Mbappé’s decision not to commit to France is causing problems
- Mbappé played for Real Madrid, despite not being in the French squad
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Kylian Mbappe was reportedly spotted at a nightclub in Sweden on Thursday, the same night his French teammates defeated Israel 4-1.
Mbappe has been criticized in his home country for skipping the Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium while he was available to play for Real Madrid.
The attacker suffered a muscle injury last month, but returned to the field last Wednesday after his club’s Champions League defeat in Lille.
He featured for Real Madrid this weekend when he played 71 minutes in a 2-0 win against Villarreal, but indicated he now needed more rest as part of his recovery from the hamstring injury.
French coach Didier Deschamps left Mbappé out of the selection he announced. He said the 25-year-old lacked preparation as he had played too few games.
Kylian Mbappe and friends were spotted leaving Chez Jolie restaurant in Stockholm on Thursday
And Mbappe was pictured with friends on the streets of Stockholm on Thursday evening as he dined out at Chez Jolie.
Aftonbladet claiming the night didn’t end there as he then headed to a nearby nightclub.
In a video released by the French Football Federation (FFF) on Monday, Deschamps said: ‘Kylian embodies many things… the interests of the clubs and the interests of the national teams inevitably diverge. We must also remember that the employer is the club, and not the federation.’
Mbappe’s situation is more complicated because the former PSG man is France’s captain.
“(The captain) is on my mind. But as I do every time, the key is to discuss it with the players involved,” coach Deschamps added.
“Obviously, with Kylian being our captain and Antoine (Griezmann), the vice-captain, both missing, it means there will certainly be others for these two games.”
On choosing the captain for the Nations League matches, Deschamps said: ‘It’s more about whether I can find certain players who can handle this responsibility at the moment without it affecting their behavior or performance.
‘That’s why it’s important for me to really know the players on a personal level – their character, their sensitivity – in relation to the group.’
The Real Madrid star has visited Sweden as France takes part in the Nations League
Mbappe, who played when France won the World Cup in 2018, has scored 48 goals in 86 appearances for his country.
He is the third highest scorer of all time for France, behind Olivier Giroud (57 goals) and Thierry Henry (51 goals).