by
This week could witness a seismic shift in the French soccer world with Noel Le Graet’s French Football Federation presidency over after an astonishing show of disrespect towards the legendary Zinedine Zidane over the weekend has led to him being placed into retirement. Didier Deschamps may well now be under contract until after the FIFA 2026 World Cup with Les Bleus, but he will be working under a new interim leader in Philippe Diallo with Le Graet ousted due to the incendiary reaction that his treatment of Zidane provoked.
The entire French soccer world has been absorbed by this latest controversy while an audit into the FFF amid sexual harassment allegations rumbles on and even French President Emmanuel Macron has reportedly weighed in by trying to position Michel Platini to succeed Le Graet. However, one voice has arguably spoken louder than anybody else on the subject of Zidane and Le Graet’s lack of respect — that of Paris Saint-Germain superstar, FIFA 2022 World Cup Golden Boot, and French soccer’s golden boy Kylian Mbappe.
In the increasingly politicized world of global soccer, the 24-year-old is one of — if not the — most recognizable faces of the game and his recent reception at a Brooklyn Nets NBA game suggests that Mbappe’s reputation grew further thanks to his displays with France in Qatar. The former AS Monaco man was top scorer at the World Cup with eight goals including a breathtaking final hat-trick to finish ahead of PSG teammate Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot despite the French defeat on penalties to Argentina in Lusail.
Macron even sought immediate association with Mbappe in the painful moments after Les Bleus fell to their Albiceleste conquerors from the spot which speaks volumes about the sort of clout that the Frenchman carries on the world stage in political as well as soccer terms. Mbappe and the FFF already locked horns earlier in the year when the man from Bondy boycotted interviews as part of an international call-up in protest against certain sponsors which go against the persona that he and his family have carefully curated these past few years.
With this as the backdrop, Tottenham Hotspur’s Hugo Lloris announced his international retirement which means that Les Bleus must now appoint a new captain and that will be one of Deschamps’ first tasks as he sets about preparing for UEFA Euro 2024 and beyond. Manchester United defender Raphael Varane is the current vice-captain and has significant experience for somebody who is not yet 30 but there is no doubt that Mbappe is the star man of this French side and arguably one of the most influential voices in the entire country.
“I am not Didier and I do not think that he will make a wrong decision (regarding Lloris’ replacement),” said PSG head coach Christophe Galtier in a press conference on Tuesday. “Kylian is 24 with a lot of experience and some incredible performances under his belt. Being captain is responsibility — with or without the armband, Kylian is a team and locker room leader.”
Galtier’s comments reflect that Mbappe is the undisputed top dog at Parc des Princes despite the presence of the legendary Messi and Brazilian superstar Neymar — especially after he opted to remain with the French champions instead of joining Real Madrid as a free agent last year. France’s No. 10 and PSG’s No. 7 is currently usurping Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the leading name in world soccer and both of those players have been the key men for club and country over an extended period of time — we could be about to witness Mbappe’s ascension to that status.
If it does not come now, it will almost certainly come in the next couple of years but the fact that we are already at this point suggests that it is already an inevitability that the Frenchman becomes the figurehead at club and international level. Mbappe is ready for the responsibility and has already showed that he can handle the weight of expectations at a European super club as well as one of the world’s leading soccer nations. Why prolong the coronation of France’s new leader on and off the field when everybody already hangs on his every word and action?
