Zinedine Zidane confirmed on Friday that Kylian Mbappe would be his France captain after naming his first squad since being appointed as the successor to Didier Deschamps as coach of Les Bleus. Real Madrid superstar Mbappe shone in his role as skipper at the World Cup and finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 10 goals, although France were beaten by eventual champions Spain in the semi-finals. Mbappe played as the centre-forward at the World Cup but was equally lethal at the 2022 tournament in Qatar playing off the left wing having mainly been used on the right when France won the World Cup in 2018.
Zinedine Zidane confirmed on Friday that Kylian Mbappe would be his France captain after naming his first squad since being appointed as the successor to Didier Deschamps as coach of Les Bleus.
“I really like his profile. Notable names who were at the World Cup but who do not feature in the squad include the Real midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni and the Inter forward Marcus Thuram, as well as the injured Arsenal defender William Saliba. Because he played with my son Elyaz at youth level,” said Zidane, whose four sons have all played professionally, he is a player I have followed for a long time.
The 54-year-old former Ballon d’Or winner Zidane, who retired from playing in 2006 after being sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi during that year’s World Cup final which France lost on penalties to Italy, has named several new faces in his first squad. Centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, 21, is included as a reward for his performances with Liverpool since moving to the Premier League club during the close season.
“He is capable of playing in the three positions and I also really like him on the left,” Zidane told reporters at a press conference in the French capital where he unveiled his squad.
