08 January 2023 , 22:56
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Kylian Mbappe has accused France FA president Noel Le Graet of “disrespecting” Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane had been linked with replacing Didier Deschamps as France boss but those rumours ended after Deschamps extended his contract with Les Bleus through to 2026. Deschamps led his injury-hit side to the World Cup final where they were just a penalty shootout away from retaining their trophy in a remarkable final defeat against Argentina.
Zidane has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 and was linked to the Manchester United hot seat last season. The legendary former midfielder has frequently spoken of his desire to return to management after two successful stints at the helm of Real Madrid.
France FA president Le Graet said he “did not care” that Zidane was the subject of an approach from the Brazilian FA, who were interested in appointing the former midfielder. Zidane is regarded as a hero in French football, spearheading their 1998 World Cup triumph – including two headed goals in the final victory over Brazil.
Mbappe – the current superstar of France football, scoring eight goals at the World Cup last month – took to Twitter to respond to Le Graet’s comments, writing: “Zidane is France, we don't disrespect the legend like that...”
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Le Graet had said in an interview, when asked what he thought of the reports that Brazil had approached Zidane: “I don't care, he can go where he wants. He can go where he wants, in a club or a national team, I hardly believe it as far as he is concerned.
“Zidane was always under the radar. He had a lot of followers; some were waiting for Deschamps to leave. But who can seriously criticise Deschamps? No one can. There have not been many problems. His departure always generates clicks.”
The French FA president continued: “I have never seen Zidane, we've never thought of separating ourselves from Didier Deschamps. That doesn't correspond to anything. Some journalists need to change or invent because they don't know what to write and prefer to say bad things than good things.
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“Frankly, those who condemn in advance have never taken me out. Did Zidane try to contact me? Of course not, I wouldn't even have picked up the phone. To tell him to look for another club? Make a special program so that you can find a club or a national team.”
French president Emmanuel Macron has recently spoken of his ambition to help persuade Zidane to return to football in Ligue 1, amid links with the Paris Saint-Germain post. Despite being from the city of Marseille – who are domestic rivals of the French capital club – Zidane had been strongly linked to replacing Mauricio Pochettino in the PSG hotseat earlier this year, but Christophe Galtier was appointed in the role.