During a press conference this Tuesday, two days before the Blues’ match against Israel (Thursday at 8:45 p.m.), Ibrahima Konaté spoke at length about all the pressure around Kylian Mbappé, more than ever criticized in recent days.
He may be far from Clairefontaine, but his name has been on everyone’s lips since the start of the French team gathering. Not selected for the Blues’ two matches in the Nations League, this Thursday against Israel (8:45 p.m.) and Monday against Belgium (8:45 p.m.), Kylian Mbappé is still at the center of an imbroglio. The French captain is facing a lot of criticism for having started with Real Madrid on Saturday in the league… two days after the announcement of his absence from the list.
>> All the news from the Blues before their two Nations League matches
In those around the Blues, we recall that the non-summoning of Kylian Mbappé by Didier Deschamps was done in dialogue, as detailed by RMC Sport on Saturday. Thursday, the coach and his captain had a discussion during which the Madrilenian explained that he did not feel completely fit. The player then confided to Didier Deschamps that he preferred to skip his turn for this gathering in order to fully get back on his feet, which the coach perfectly accepted. Except that the pill passes a little less on the side of the supporters.
“He may have a psychological breakdown in his life”
Many fans of the French team, like the French Irrésistibles, the main group of supporters of the Blues, are angry with Mbappé. “The criticism? It’s Kylian Mbappé. It’s on par with everything that’s happening around him, the number of people who follow him. He raises awareness around him,” said Ibrahima Konaté in a conference press release this Tuesday.
“As soon as he arrives in a place, it’s ‘Kylian, Kylian’. He doesn’t show it, but I think it’s sometimes difficult to live with,” he imagines.
“Sometimes, I put myself in his place, and if I had all this enthusiasm around, I don’t know if I would have held on,” Konaté continued to the press. “He managed to do it and he continues to do it. He may have a psychological breakdown in his life, I have no idea, but I would love to discuss it with him. But you have to put yourself in his place. Everything that revolves around him is… He has no life! He has no life! And it must be hard for him.”
Konaté also does not understand how the Lille public could whistle Mbappé during the second day of the Champions League last Wednesday, even before the Real Madrid striker was announced absent from Didier Deschamps’ list. “I don’t understand why he gets whistled at Lille. When I played against Toulouse with Liverpool (last season in the Europa League, Editor’s note), they gave me an exceptional welcome. The Liverpool players totally thought I had played with Toulouse in my career (smile). I think he’s over that, but it can’t be easy to experience that in your country, it’s weird all the same,” concluded the 2022 world vice-champion.
