France national team manager Didier Deschamps has publicly supported Kylian Mbappé, addressing criticism of the forward’s perceived selfishness and defensive work rate at Real Madrid.
Mbappé is enjoying a remarkable individual season, scoring 37 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions. However, his stellar personal numbers have come during a period where Real Madrid, as a team, have struggled to meet high expectations. This contrast has brought renewed focus on aspects of his game often questioned in the past , specifically, his effort without the ball and a style some label as individualistic.
In response to these critiques, Deschamps offered a firm defense of his captain. “That’s your analysis,” Deschamps stated regarding claims of selfishness and insufficient running. “I don’t think that’s the case, even if some might run less than others. If you want him to run at least 11km per match, don’t bother, he won’t do it. However, he offers many other qualities that are important and decisive.”
Deschamps also challenged the public image of Mbappé as a purely individual player. “You may like Kylian, you may not, but the youngsters adore him. You have this image of him as a selfish, individualistic guy… he’s a striker, it would be ridiculous if he didn’t have a certain amount of selfishness, but I can assure you he knows that, since becoming a captain, his word carries weight with the entire group.”
Similar debates surrounded Mbappé in his final seasons at Paris Saint-Germain. His defensive commitment was frequently a topic, notably under coach Luis Enrique. A clip from a 2024 documentary showed Enrique correcting Mbappé’s pressing, highlighting a long-standing discussion about the forward’s role and contributing to reported tensions before his move to Spain.