Zidane's Clear Plan for Mbappe and France
Zinedine Zidane has barely taken the France job and already two things are crystal clear: Kylian Mbappe keeps the armband, and this team will play very much to their manager’s ideas, not the other way around.
On Friday, the new France boss named his first 23-man squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures and, as reported by RMC Sport, confirmed that Mbappe will remain captain. No drama, no suspense. The hierarchy stays intact.
Mbappe stays captain – but not as a No 9?
The intrigue lies elsewhere. Zidane openly suggested that his star forward may not lead the line as a central striker.
With five uncapped players called into a refreshed squad, the coach was asked about Mbappe’s role across the front. He acknowledged the forward’s flexibility but didn’t hide his own preference.
“He is capable of playing in all three positions. He has said it himself,” Zidane told reporters. “Me, for example, I like him a lot on the left.”
That single sentence will echo around dressing rooms and TV studios alike. Mbappe on the left, cutting inside, driving at full-backs – it is the image that defined him for club and country at his most devastating. Zidane sounds ready to lean into that version of his captain.
Defensive work non-negotiable
The conversation quickly shifted to a familiar talking point: Mbappe’s defensive contribution.
Since his move to Real Madrid, debate in Spain has circled around the work rate of the club’s attackers without the ball. One journalist brought that concern into the France camp, questioning the perceived lack of defensive effort.
Zidane cut that line of questioning down immediately.
“It is a false subject, a false debate, it will have to be managed like all the other players,” he said. “When we do not have the ball, we will have to make an effort. It will not be a problem for Kylian.”
No special rules for the superstar. No indulgence. Zidane framed it as a collective obligation: everyone runs, everyone works. Mbappe may be the captain and the attacking reference point, but he is also just another player in the defensive scheme. That message will not be lost on the rest of the squad.
Steering clear of the political storm
The press conference did not stay on football for long. Questions turned to the 2027 French presidential elections and to the recent controversy around Mbappe’s refusal to wear, in full, a t-shirt supporting Ceuta residents.
Zidane wanted no part of that arena.
“I am going to dedicate myself to this task, manager of the France national team,” he said. “However, I have convictions like everyone else, I am a citizen. As for sharing them... Everyone does as they want, but I am going to try to dedicate myself to this task.”
It was a firm, measured line: he acknowledges his beliefs, but he will not parade them. In an era where footballers and coaches are routinely drawn into political debate, Zidane is staking out a clear position. His stage is the pitch.
A new era begins in Turkiye
The Zidane era will begin on September 25, when France travel to Kocaeli to face Turkiye in League A of the Nations League. Three days later comes a trip to Brussels to meet Belgium – a demanding opening double-header for a new regime.
By then, the questions swirling around this team will be sharper. Will Mbappe start on the left as his coach prefers? How quickly will the five uncapped players adapt to the demands of international football under a manager who insists on effort without the ball? And how will a star-studded squad respond to a legend who has made it clear he will not bend to outside noise?
The answers start in Turkiye, with Mbappe’s armband secure and Zidane’s ideas already setting the tone.
