Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni said he will lead France “with a lot of pride” in their Nations League match against Israel while Kylian Mbappé is unavailable.
The 24-year-old Tchouaméni aims to be a leader “who brings people together” but doesn’t want to make the captaincy about popularity.
“To be liked by everyone—what does that really mean? In any team, some people get along better with others, but the key is to respect each other,” he said at a pre-match news conference in Budapest. “Some players are popular in the locker room, while others may not be. It’s the same in any workplace.”
Tchouaméni has played 36 times for France and brings valuable experience to a team missing its star player.
“I chose him because I think he has the right qualities to take on this responsibility,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “Even though he’s still young, he participated in the last World Cup and the last European Championship.”
Mbappé, who usually captains the team, is recovering from a minor thigh injury in Madrid.
“I talked to Kylian last night, but we didn’t discuss the captaincy much. We talked about other things instead,” Tchouaméni said.
Mbappé’s absence from the national team raised some questions since he played for Madrid last weekend. Deschamps acknowledged the situation, noting that the club is Mbappé’s employer.
“Clubs have always had this influence,” Deschamps said, adding that clubs are becoming more “attentive” due to the number of games their players have to play.
“I don’t want to create conflicts between players and their clubs,” Deschamps stated.
When asked, Tchouaméni confirmed that Madrid did not pressure him to skip playing for France.
“That’s not true,” he said. “People can interpret things however they want, but all I can say is that there is no pressure from the club.”
France is also missing vice-captain Antoine Griezmann, who unexpectedly announced his retirement from international play last month after scoring 44 goals in 137 matches.
Griezmann and Mbappé were key players in leading France to the 2018 World Cup title, alongside midfielder Paul Pogba, central defender Raphaël Varane, and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Varane, Lloris, and Olivier Giroud — who is France’s all-time leading scorer with 57 goals — have all stepped away from the national team. Tchouaméni noted this feels like the end of an era but believes it is time for “a new generation to emerge.”
Deschamps mentioned that forward Marcus Thuram is uncertain to play against Israel after injuring his right ankle while playing for Inter Milan last weekend.
Thuram scored a hat trick in a 3-2 victory against Torino but had to leave the game in the second half due to a late tackle.
Italy currently leads France and Belgium by three points in their Nations League group after two matches. France will play Israel on Thursday and then face Belgium four days later.
A young Deschamps was in the midfield when France lost a World Cup qualifier 3-2 at home to Israel in 1993, which led to their failure to qualify for the World Cup.
A reporter asked Deschamps what he remembered about that match, reminding him it was Israel’s greatest moment in soccer.
“Thank you,” Deschamps replied dryly, adding that “it was far from the happiest” moment in his career as he watched the 1994 World Cup from his living room.
