Deschamps: Mbappé is not a dictator, he is a leader
France head coach Didier Deschamps defended Kylian Mbappé after the round of 16 win over Paraguay, rejecting the perception of him as a dictator and praising his leadership.
France secured a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the World Cup round of 16, with Kylian Mbappé converting a penalty in the 70th minute. The win sends France to the quarterfinals, where they will face Morocco.
After the match, head coach Didier Deschamps was quick to defend captain Mbappé, who has faced criticism recently both for the national team and Real Madrid. Deschamps stated that the image of Mbappé as a dictator is false. "He is not a dictator. Some people have a perception of Kylian that is completely untrue," Deschamps said. He praised Mbappé's maturity and leadership: "He has always been mature, and the whole team follows him. I am very happy that Kylian is our captain. Every time he speaks on or off the pitch, he represents the entire team."
The match against Paraguay was physical, and France complained about the opponent's "ugly" and "dirty" style of play, believing that Paraguay deserved several yellow and even red cards. However, Deschamps acknowledged that his team was prepared: "We were ready for such a game; the players expected it. I do not want to criticize Paraguay; every team plays their own way. But there were some insults and comments from them that I could have done without."
France has won all their matches in the tournament so far: in the group stage against Norway, Senegal, and Iraq, in the round of 16 against Sweden, and now against Paraguay. Next up is a quarterfinal clash with Morocco.
