France head coach Didier Deschamps has defended his captain, Kylian Mbappe, against public criticism regarding his leadership behaviour, saying that the superstar forward’s media reputation is entirely disconnected from his actual presence within the dressing room.
Addressing the media following France’s win at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Deschamps completely rejected the narrative that the striker had changed his personality since taking the armband.
“No, he hasn’t changed. You make him seem like a dictator. Kylian has an image for some people on the outside that doesn’t correspond at all to reality,” Deschamps told reporters after the match.
France beat Paraguay to seal a quarterfinal berth
2018 winners France booked their spot in the final eight by grinding out a narrow 1-0 victory over Paraguay at Lincoln Financial Field. The decisive goal came in the 66th minute when youngster Desire Doue drew a foul inside the box, allowing Mbappe to slot home the resulting penalty.
Despite controlling the bulk of possession, France endured a frustrating opening period against a deep South American low block. Tensions ultimately boiled over before the break when a heavy tackle on Mbappe provoked a chaotic scuffle between both sets of players.
After the match, Deschamps noted that his squad was fully ready for the hostile environment and lauded his captain’s leadership under immense pressure. Reflecting on the fiercely contested Round of 16 encounter, Deschamps said his squad had anticipated the nature of the match and managed to remain disciplined throughout.
“I’ve seen a lot of things. I have prepared the players. The players were expecting this game. I do not want to criticise Paraguay. Each team plays the way they want. But there were some insults from the other bench which I could have done without,” Deschamps said.
“The most important thing is that by the end of the game, there were no disagreements and that we (did not) get another card,” he added.
Though Paraguay launched a late onslaught in search of an equaliser, France’s defence held firm to book a highly anticipated quarterfinal showdown against Morocco. France faced Morocco in the semi-final at the FIFA World Cup 2022.
(With ANI inputs)
