Liverpool star could become France captain due to Kylian Mbappe troubles
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Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate could become the new France captain in the coming months due to friction caused by Kylian Mbappe.
Konate has proven himself to be a consistent figure for club and country at the top level and has been one of the standout defenders in the Premier League this season. For France, he is highly-regarded and has formed a strong partnership with Arsenal’s William Saliba. During their win over Italy, he was seen captaining the side in Mbappe’s absence. The Real Madrid superstar was left out of the national squad for their two UEFA Nations League games and tensions are rising between the player, Didier Deschamps and the national team.
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Hide AdAccording to L’Equipe, if Mbappe is set to abandon the captaincy, Konate is one of the frontrunners to take over. This international break has seen a weakened French side as they were missing Mbappé, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga, Ousmane Dembélé, and N’Golo Kanté - all of whom should return in March.
Konate, who currently has 21 caps, has started five of their last six in all competitions. However, he was left on the bench for the entirety of the Euro 2024 campaign. He watched on as former teammate Dayot Upamecano partnered Saliba but he has proven to be the superior player in recent months.
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He recently spoke out on Mbappe with the national team, claiming he would do anything he could to support him. “If Kylian has psychological problems in his life, we’ll always be there to help him. Every player in their career has had a little blip so I’m not worried about him. I can’t wait for him to get back to his best level.”
The weight of the armband could be too heavy for Mbappe right now given his struggles at Madrid and lack of form - he’s scored just twice in 12 games including the Euros. His record as captain is 13 wins, three losses and one draw but it looks like he could relinquish the responsibility to focus on his individual issues - and Konate is high on the list of replacements as captain.
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