Zidane prepares Mbappé change as France tenure kicks off

 Zinedine Zidane wants Kylian Mbappé to play on the left wing rather than at center forward, the position he has occupied for both Real Madrid and the French national team over the past two years, during Zidane’s tenure in charge of Les Bleus. The Marseille native knows the Madrid star inside out and, according to RMC Sport, has already privately informed him of his intention to move him back out wide in order to get the very best out of him. The two had a cordial conversation in which they exchanged their initial thoughts before joining up for the fall international break, the first of the season.

“Personally, I prefer him on the left”

Zidane has also said as much publicly. On the day he announced his first squad as France coach, Zizou stated that he prefers Mbappé on the left rather than as a No. 9. “Mbappé will be my captain,” the 54-year-old said. “He can play in any of the three attacking positions. Personally, I prefer him on the left.” It was a telling remark, with the French legend intent on returning Mbappé to a position where he has more space to receive the ball and run at defenders.

Nor is the role unfamiliar to Mbappé. In fact, the Real Madrid striker has played 32 games on the left wing since making his France debut on March 25, 2017, recording 21 goals and 16 assists. His last competitive appearance for Les Bleus starting out wide came in 2024, in the European Championship semifinal against Spain. Kolo Muani operated as the No. 9 that day as France bowed out of the tournament with a 2-1 defeat to La Roja.

Since then, and following confirmation of his move to Real Madrid in 2024, Mbappé has played almost exclusively as a No. 9, despite not possessing the attributes of a traditional center forward. There has been no shortage of debate in the media over his best position, as he is most comfortable drifting out to the left, at times occupying the same spaces as Vinícius Júnior. Didier Deschamps employed him in a similar role with France, primarily to relieve him of defensive responsibilities, but without success (France was eliminated in the Nations League semifinals and subsequently knocked out of the World Cup by Spain).

Mbappé’s lack of defensive work, however, was no cause for concern for Zidane at his first press conference. The France coach said the 27-year-old will work just like the rest of his teammates and, furthermore, dismissed the debate surrounding his lack of effort without the ball as “false”. His France team will look to take control of games through possession, correct the mistakes made under Deschamps and, above all, be ambitious. “I’m a competitor and I want to pass that on to my players,” Zidane said in an interview with Telefoot last Sunday.

Based on everything we have seen so far, Mbappé will start on the left wing Friday in Turkey. Zidane could deploy Ousmane Dembélé as the No. 9, a position he knows inside out from his time at PSG and one in which he has won, in addition to last year’s Ballon d’Or, back-to-back Champions League titles. The coach values the Madrid man’s versatility, has already named him captain and will build around him as he looks to create a competitive team whose first major objective is to win the Nations League, with France beginning its campaign Friday.

Mbappé trains with Zidane for the first time

Sidelined by the flu, Mbappé was the only absentee from France’s training session Tuesday at Clairefontaine. The forward did not take part in the second day of Zidane’s tenure in charge of Les Bleus and was given the day off as a precaution after consulting the medical staff.

The Real Madrid star returned to the field Wednesday morning. He trained under Zidane for the first time, having fully recovered from the flu that had prevented him from taking part in the first two days of camp.

Zizou names his four captains

Zidane has now named France’s four captains for the first international window of the season. As expected, Mbappé will be his first-choice captain, a decision Zidane had already announced at his introductory press conference, while Dembélé will serve as vice-captain. Adrien Rabiot is third in the pecking order, with Jules Koundé rounding out the group.

The decision was based on seniority. Mbappé has the most international appearances of any player in Zidane’s first squad, followed by Dembélé, Rabiot and Koundé. It is a very different approach from the one Deschamps took in 2023, when he selected the Real Madrid star as captain following Hugo Lloris’ retirement from international soccer.

Zidane spoke with Mbappé by phone before announcing his first squad and confirmed that he would remain captain. During that conversation, he also told Mbappé that he intended to play him on the left. The captaincy hierarchy was announced Wednesday at Clairefontaine.