France forward Ousmane Dembele spoke out in support of team captain Kylian Mbappe, saying criticism of the Real Madrid striker has gone too far as the World Cup approaches [1, 2, 3]. Mbappe, who transferred from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid in 2024, remains a prolific scorer despite recent backlash linked to Real Madrid’s failure to secure La Liga or the Champions League titles last season [1, 2, 3].
Mbappe took over the France captaincy in 2023 after Hugo Lloris retired from international football [1, 3]. Since then, his performances, public appearances, and even minor behaviors have sparked intense debate in France [1, 3]. Dembele defended Mbappe, saying, "The criticism towards him is very, very unfair. Some people go a bit too far with the criticism of Kylian. He's an incredible player and a very good person off the pitch. Some people overdo the criticism because he's Kylian Mbappe. They shouldn't keep going after him. Whether he ties his shoelaces or not, whether he pulls up his socks or not... it's too much. He's still a human being. With the France team, he's very good with us, he's a leader" [2].
Dembele himself is a Ballon d'Or contender after helping Paris Saint-Germain to two Champions League titles before Mbappe's departure in 2024 [1, 2, 3]. He praised France coach Didier Deschamps, calling him "simply an exceptional coach" and "a legend among French national team coaches," ahead of Deschamps’s planned departure following the World Cup [2]. Deschamps led France to victory in the 2018 World Cup and to the final in 2022 [1, 2, 3].
Dembele also expressed hope that Zinedine Zidane will one day succeed Deschamps as France coach, saying, "I'm convinced he would do a fantastic job" [2].
France are set to open their 2026 World Cup campaign against Senegal on June 13, with Mbappe and Dembele expected to start the match [1, 2, 3].
