does the captain of the France team necessarily have to speak to the media?

Aurélien Tchouameni, Mike Maignan and even Jean-Clair Todibo, but no Kylian Mbappé. The captain of the France team did not appear at a press conference, either before the match against the Netherlands on Friday, or that against Scotland, scheduled for Tuesday, October 17, in Lille. The tradition established under the long mandate of Hugo Lloris, wanting the latter to be the media interlocutor every day before a match, has been broken.

After the striker’s induction as captain in March, Didier Deschamps quickly warned that his striker should not be expected to be the official spokesperson for the Blues. “He will be required to attend press conferences on the eve of matches very frequently, even if others may show up.”, declared the coach for the first time, on June 15. In a firmer tone, he then insisted, on September 6: “There is no requirement that the captain still be there. I don’t think there would have been many questions about the Ireland game if he had been there.”.

Mbappé protected on behalf of the group?

In a tense context, marked by the Hamas-Israel war and the Arras attack, just 50 kilometers from the Stade Pierre-Mauroy which is hosting the friendly match against Scotland, Kylian Mbappé was replaced by Mike Maignan on Monday. Didier Deschamps was asked if it was the role of a captain of the France team to speak out on social issues. “For some it will be a duty, for others not. For me, everyone is free to express themselves on the subjects they wish”assured “DD”, still calling for the speech to be “moderate”.

Rare in front of the media, especially since the last World Cup, Kylian Mbappé has already proven his ability to make himself heard and assert a position, whether in his attitude concerning his future at Paris Saint-Germain or in his active role for the revision of the convention on image rights in selection. Was there a fear of breaking the peace of this French team, quietly on track towards Euro 2024 and accustomed to taking great care of its communication?

“Kylian is not a fanatic of speaking, even if he is very comfortable in the exercise. (…) In his youthful flashes, he sometimes let himself get a little too carried away . Since then, he has put water in his wine.”

Philippe Tournon, ex-press officer of the Blues

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For Luis Fernandez, five times captain of the Blues between 1982 and 1992, “there is this desire for protection, of a group, of a man. Vigilance is also linked to social networks. Everything that is said is noted and repeated, or subject to interpretation”. Each speech made by Kylian Mbappé has a huge resonance, which goes far beyond the borders of France. The slightest hiccup can cause a snowball effect.

A major difference with Hugo Lloris

“I remember his press conference before the 2018 World Cup. We asked him what a successful World Cup would be for him, knowing that President Noël Le Graët had set the course for the semi-finals. He had replied that a successful World Cup is a World Cup that we win. On our return to the Istra base camp, I remember that the elders had taken him up and said: ‘We all hope to win , but don’t say it like that, it will fall on us if we screw up‘“says Philippe Tournon, the historic press officer of the Blues (from 1983 to 2004, then from 2010 to 2018).

The latter remembers several “coach-captain couples”: the complicity between Michel Hidalgo and Michel Platini (at a time when a player could pass “45 to 50 minutes in front of the press”) or the complementarity between Aimé Jacquet and his player Didier Deschamps, which inspires another anecdote. “Aimé Jacquet didn’t care at all about who went in front of the press. Didier found that during the group matches of the 1998 World Cup, the public was a little lukewarm. That day, he proclaimed himself devolved to the media and went to castigate the suits and ties, these guys who applaud with their fingertips, to ask the public to make a little more noise and show real support”.

“The coach Deschamps knows very well what happens in the group, when and with whom to intervene when necessary. There is no need for a captain with a strong personality who plays this role of transmission belt.”analyzes Philippe Tournon, for whom “It’s all a matter of personalities.” Whether through his experience, his character or his performances on the field, “every captain has a leadership side”, recalls Luis Fernandez who, like Mbappé, was captain of PSG and the France team. Beyond the obvious missions, from wearing the armband to talking to the referee, the essential thing lies in his ability to guide the team in the right direction on the pitch, in concert with the coach.

“Ensuring that everyone works calmly on a single common objective, 100% focused on the result, that’s where the captain is decisive. It is also to ensure that everyone can express their talent and contribute to the result, that there are no ego problems or ulterior motives. Because a leaden atmosphere is guaranteed failure”, insists Philippe Tournon, 337 matches on the clock with the Blues. Against the Netherlands, Kylian Mbappé did not need to speak to show the path to Euro 2024. He will return to the media. During his last press conference with the French team, on June 15, despite his tense situation at the club, he assured: “It’s not a few noises that will make me avoid my responsibility”.