Why Kylian Mbappe not playing for France v Belgium tonight as Didier Deschamps reacts to Real Madrid star’s nightclub visit

France captain Kylian Mbappe continues to be criticized in his country for his absence during the international break.

The Blues skipper missed the 4-1 win over Israel last week and will also not lead Didier Deschamps’ men against Belgium this evening.

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Mbappé is arguably France’s biggest star, but his relationship with the national team has been strained since he was named captain.

The 25-year-old was controversially chosen to succeed Hugo Lloris last year ahead of Antoine Griezmann, who was chosen as his deputy.

The latter’s commitment to France has never been in doubt after he played a record 84 consecutive games for them from 2017 to 2024.

However, the breakdown of Mbappé’s tenure at Paris Saint-Germain coupled with France’s disappointing campaign at Euro 2024 – his first tournament as captain – has seen his popularity at home plummet.

The Real Madrid No.9 was booed during the international break last month after claiming criticism of the Blues’ style of play was “the least of his worries”.

Atletico Madrid star Griezmann announced his retirement from international football last week, but Mbappé is also not involved in the squad, further complicating the situation.

Why is Mbappé not playing against Belgium?

Officially, Mbappé was ruled out of the France squad due to a thigh injury he suffered in Real Madrid’s 3-2 win over Alaves last month.

The forward was expected to be out for around three weeks and missed the 1-1 Madrid derby against Atlético.

On the eve of Deschamps’ squad announcement, Mbappé made a surprise return ahead of Lille in the Champions League.

He received a hostile reception for his first outing in his homeland as a Real Madrid player, but was still left out of France’s October squad.

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“I spoke to Kylian about the situation, which is still uncertain after coming on as a substitute on Wednesday,” explained Deschamps.

“He has a game on Saturday and there are questions.

“He has a problem that is not serious, but he needs treatment to recover properly,” the manager continued.

“I’m not here to take risks. That’s why Kylian is not here.”

The bad feeling deepened when Mbappé was deemed fit to start Madrid’s win against Villarreal three days later.

The 2018 World Cup winner was spotted in the afternoon in Sweden on Thursday, the same evening as his France teammates beat Israel.

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“I don’t follow the news of players who are not here, Kylian follows a program with Real Madrid, I don’t know if he was out or not,” said Deschamps.

“Like any player at his club, he follows a program. If players have days off, they are free to do whatever they want

“I don’t just defend him because of that. The problem is that his private life is not private.

“That’s not the case for you guys, and you’re okay with that.”

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Mbappé, who has 48 goals for France, managed just one at Euro 2024 (from the penalty spot) after breaking his nose in his first game.

His commitments with Madrid prevented him from playing at the Paris Olympics and he then sat out both Nations League games last month.

A recent poll by Odoxa showed that only 54% of the more than 1,000 questioned still had a good opinion of Mbappe, down 12 from 2019.

French outlet Foot Mercato have claimed the star will only play in important matches for France as he targets the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

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Deschamps responded to similar reports at the start of the October break, reiterating: “There is no concern about his commitment.

“For various reasons, Kylian was not in the best conditions psychologically during the last international camp.

“The fact that he is at Real Madrid with important expectations, the fact that he had no pre-season, few games, was not ideal.

“But I have no doubt about Kylian’s commitment,” added the French coach.