Kylian Mbappe responds to France controversy with silent message before Italy clash

Kylian Mbappe has responded to speculation over his relationship with France manager Zinedine Zidane and reports he wanted to leave the squad by posting a picture of himself travelling to Italy with the national team.

The Real Madrid forward shared the image on Instagram on Thursday without adding a caption. He was pictured boarding a plane in France’s official training kit, with an Italy flag and a location marker showing that he was travelling with the squad.

The post came after a day of intense media attention surrounding the France captain on the eve of the Nations League meeting with Italy.

French newspaper L’Equipe reported that the relationship between Mbappe and new manager Zidane might not be as harmonious as it had appeared. The French Football Federation then announced that Mbappe had missed training.

Initial reports said the striker was “receiving treatment”, before further updates suggested he had suffered a strain to his hamstring. It was subsequently confirmed that France’s number 10 would miss Thursday’s match, although he would remain with the squad.

The situation became more contentious after reports claimed Mbappe wanted to return to Madrid and that his private plane had been waiting for him. According to those reports, Zidane rejected the request.

Tension over Mbappe’s role

Mbappe’s absence was not viewed as an isolated medical issue because it came during a sensitive period for France. Reports in the French media have pointed to tension between the captain and Zidane over his position and role within the team, as well as an uneasy atmosphere in the dressing room.

The disagreement reportedly began during Zidane’s first camp in charge. He selected Mbappe on the left wing and used Ousmane Dembele as a centre-forward, a decision interpreted as a change in Mbappe’s status within the attacking system.

Mbappe has increasingly preferred playing as a central striker, while Zidane had hoped to use him in the important Nations League matches against Italy and Turkey. His hamstring problem has ruled him out of the Italy fixture, although he could still recover in time to face Turkey.

France’s qualification position

France travel to Milan for Thursday evening’s match with 10 points from four games at the top of Group A. Italy have seven points, Belgium six, while Turkey are bottom without a point.

The match has significance beyond the contest between the leading two sides, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake and France able to secure top spot before the final round of matches.

The first meeting between the teams ended in a 1-1 draw after an error by Lucas Da Cunha allowed Italy to equalise. France now know a draw at San Siro would guarantee a finish in the top two and qualification for the quarter-finals, according to French network RMC.

Italy and Belgium are competing for the second qualification place and meet in Brussels next Sunday, meaning one point in Milan would allow France to avoid a complicated final round of calculations.