Considered one of the vocal leaders of the locker room, combined with an indisputable status, Mike Maignan was nevertheless not named captain. A choice explained by certain conflicting relationships with Kylian Mbappé.
The international break began this Monday, October 7 with, for the Blues, the indecision around the captaincy to be clarified with the absences of Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann and N’Golo Kanté. Focused on the Blues, the newspaper The Team made a big update on the subject this Thursday morning, emphasizing in particular the importance of the choice made: prioritizing Aurélien Tchouaméni over Mike Maignan.
This Monday, Didier Deschamps spoke with his doorman to explain his decision not to appoint him captain of the France team at this gathering. He would have mentioned the difficulty of the role for a goalkeeper, while emphasizing his position as leader in the squad. Faced with this decision, Mike Maignan would have expressed a form of bitterness in his private circle, when the vast majority of players expected to see him take on this responsibility.
To explain this choice, the French sports daily emphasizes the goalkeeper’s repeated rants in the locker room after the setback against Italy (1-3, first day of the Nations League) and before the match against Belgium (J2). During these, Mike Maignan regretted certain attitudes (general and individual), pointing out without mentioning Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé. A speech opposite to that of the last named, who called into question the tactical work of the technical staff. These differences are commonplace in a locker room, but underline the incompatibility of the two men. This is how Didier Deschamps would have chosen Aurélien Tchouaméni, closer to his captain and more comfortable with the media.
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