14 Years in Charge and Deschamps Still Has to Defend Mbappé Like This
France's manager ironically dismisses questions about Mbappé's position and reaffirms his trust in the captain ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Didier Deschamps has been in charge of the French national team for nearly 14 years and has long grown accustomed to fielding questions. In an interview with British newspaper The Guardian, the manager came out in defence of deploying Kylian Mbappé as a centre-forward — a position that has sparked debate among supporters and analysts alike. With a touch of irony, Deschamps argued that the forward has played in that role for the past three years, both at PSG and Real Madrid, and that many other managers have made the same choice.
On the subject of Mbappé's leadership, the coach noted that the captain has grown in the way he carries out that role — listening, observing, and speaking on behalf of the group rather than just for himself. For Deschamps, one of the greatest challenges of managing the national side is handling the frustration of players who are left out of the starting eleven, something he considers inevitable in squads of the highest level.
With 179 matches at the helm of Les Bleus, the manager arrives at the 2026 World Cup backed by a strong track record — champion in 2018 and runner-up in 2022. The Golmetria model estimates a 9.45% chance of France lifting the title, with a 16.61% probability of reaching the final. The market points to an implied probability of 14.71%. These probabilities come from the model and do not guarantee any outcome.