Bixente Lizarazu’s worrying media statement on Kylian Mbappé

This international break was supposed to be an opportunity for Mbappé to recharge his batteries and enjoy himself on the pitch again. After a complicated start in Madrid, despite scoring a double just before the break, the Bondy player found himself in a slightly more peaceful and familiar context, in a French squad of which he is the captain. However, there too, things are going less well than expected. Firstly, on a sporting level, since the striker trained at AS Monaco had, like the rest of the team, a very complicated evening against Italy last Friday.

His press conference in which he said he was not concerned about what the fans, especially at the Parc des Princes, might think of him, also went down badly. And that’s not all, since the echoes coming from the Blues’ locker room also mention a Mbappé who is starting to be criticized by his teammates. His behavior is being singled out, and he is notably one of the players targeted by Mike Maignan when the latter let out a huge shouting match in the locker room after the defeat against the Italian selection. A tense situation for the Madrilenian, therefore, which Bixente Lizarazu wanted to return to in an article published in the daily The Team.

Mbappé needs to breathe

“Kylian Mbappé’s press conference before France – Italy, on Thursday, surprised and bothered me. The words used were inappropriate, not those of a leader and even less those of a captain. You cannot be insensitive to the feelings of the supporters of the French team, to the frustrations they may harbor, to the questions they may have. You must try to answer them, give them hope, it is part of the job and the emotional bond you must have with your fans.”the former full-back first launched. He then spoke about the player’s mental health, and explained that the situation Mbappé is going through is “the consequence of an incredibly conflictual situation with his former club, during which the extra-sporting aspect took precedence over the sporting aspect”.

“There are times in a career when you have to stop and refocus on yourself, because you already have difficulty finding yourself. I think the captain of Les Bleus is going through a moment like this. Mbappé’s best probably dates back to the 2022 World Cup and that’s the one we need to see again. (…) Mbappé is no longer as explosive or decisive as he was. He remains a very good scorer, a very good player of course, but he is no longer scary as before.”concluded the consultant, who therefore believes that the player needs to rest and take a step back. A rather worrying observation, knowing that Mbappé will face a hellish schedule and a significant demand from Madrid. However, he should not start this clash against Belgium in the Nations League this Monday.