Kylian Mbappe was reportedly pulled apart by his France teammate Mike Maignan in an incredible two-minute outburst following their defeat to Italy.
The 2018 World Cup champions are in disarray following a poor Euros and a rocky start to their Nations League campaign. Didier Deschamps’ team never really got out of first gear in Germany, limping into the semi-finals despite scoring only three goals all tournament before being outgunned by Spain in Munich.
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On Friday, they were thrashed 3-1 by Italy, who took the lead early on thanks to a Bradley Barcola goal before Federico Dimarco, Davide Fratttesi, and Giacomo Raspadori struck for no further response. It leaves Deschamps’ position under more scrutiny while senior figures in the dressing room, such as Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, have been heavily criticised. There have been rumours of a split among the camp for a while and those have now leapt forward with news of a stunning confrontation between Mbappe and his goalkeeper Maignan.
According to L’Equipe, the AC Milan shot-stopper let Mbappe have it in front of his teammates after the game. It’s reported that Maignan went off on one in a rant specifically aimed at Mbappe and Griezmann, ripping into their attitude, hunger, and desire. Maignan is believed to have pointed out that Italy wanted it more and that, on paper, only two Italians would make it into the France team.
The rant reportedly lasted two interrupted minutes and left the dressing room silence, even Mbappe, who did not dare to respond. Mbappe wears the captain’s armband for France, but L’Equipe points out that Maignan took on a captain’s role with his extraordinary diatribe, which could be the start of a lasting breach in the dressing room.
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