French national team captain Kylian Mbappe recently returned to his club, Real Madrid, after picking up an injury in their 4-0 match against Ukraine.
The striker has been dropped from the national team squad and will not appear in France’s clash against Azerbaijan. This would be the second time in a row that Mbappe has picked up in an international break and returned to his club.
However, not everyone believes these reasons for return are genuine. Former PSG player Jerome Rothen, in an interview with RMC Sport, accused the French captain of receiving special treatment. He explained that this situation does not sit right with him and believes that it is unfair to his other national teammates.
He shared, “In the 80th minute, with the 4-0 in favour, we all wondered how long it would take for an alleged injury to occur. Mbappe is the captain of France, he receives special treatment and that seems good to me. But he has teammates around him who play the same number of games or more than him in a year.”
Rothen further questioned, “Do you think they are not tired and would not prefer to avoid this inconsequential match in Baku? Yes, but they will go because they have to go.”
Rothen Believes Mbappe’s Teammates Are Fed Up With His Alleged Special Treatment
Former PSG believes that Kylian Mbappe’s teammates are likely not happy with the alleged bias for him. While pointing out the same, he said, “They qualified, so far so good, but when things get complicated…. Decisions like these can cause problems in the dressing room, and I am convinced that there are players fed up with this favourable treatment.”
Emmanuel Petit Voices His Support For Mbappe
Former French footballer Emmanuel Petit came in to defend the Madrid player against Rothen’s allegations. The midfielder claimed that Mbappe is possibly the best player on the French side and does not deserve to face these kinds of accusations. He explained, “I criticised him last year for not going to Sweden, but now you are trying to create a scandal where there is none. Even if it bothers someone in the dressing room, we are talking about the best player of all (in the squad).”
Following their qualification for the 2026 World Cup, the France National team is set to face Azerbaijan for their last group stage match on November 16, 2025.