SOCCER
Why isn’t Kylian Mbappé playing for France against Belgium?
The Frenchman will not play a part in the October international break. Instead, he has stayed with Real Madrid.
France breezed past Israel last week with a 4-1 victory, closing the gap to Italy at the top of League A Group 2 of the UEFA Nations League.
Didier Deschamps’ team travel to Belgium on Monday for their second game of the October international break, without a key player still unavailable for selection.
Kylian Mbappé is not part of France’s squad for their Nations League fixtures against Israel and Belgium after picking up a thigh injury in a recent domestic fixture. Mbappé reported a muscular issue during the 3-2 LaLiga win over Alavés and subsequently ruled himself out of international contention.
In his absence, Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni will take the armband for Les Bleus.
At the time of the injury, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti was typically calm, saying: “He had a strain. Now with new technology they talk about grade one, grade two... In just under a week, he’s recovered well.”
When will Kylian Mbappé return for Real Madrid?
The Frenchman’s fitness status has been confused by the fact that he has returned to the field since suffering the injury against Alavés, starting in Madrid’s recent win over Villarreal.
Faced with domestic outcry, France boss Deschamps was forced to explain the situation earlier this month: “He has a problem which is not serious but he needs treatment to recover properly. I am not here to take risks. That is why Kylian is not here.”
Deschamps continued: “Kylian draws a lot of attention. Club and national team interests don’t always align, and it’s important to remember that it’s the club, not the federation, that employs him.”
Despite a less-than-thrilling start to the 2024/25 campaign, Real Madrid remain unbeaten in LaLiga and Mbappé has scored seven goals in 11 appearances across all competition. The Champions League loss to LOSC Lille was undoubtedly a disappointment but there are signs that the Mbappé-Vinicius-Bellingham trident is starting to gel. If this October break allows Mbappé to regain full fitness, Madrid could hit the ground running on the return to domestic action next weekend.