French reporter denies Mbappé-Zidane rift before Italy match

What happened

Speculation about a rift between Kylian Mbappé and new France head coach Zinedine Zidane was clarified ahead of France's Nations League match against Italy on Thursday, according to a report by Get Spanish Football News citing French football insider Abdellah Boulma.

Report details

French media had recently circulated claims that early interactions between the Real Madrid forward and Zidane, the new national team boss, had not gone well. The debate over Mbappé's role in France's attack added fuel: many observers believe the 27-year-old is better suited to playing from the left than through the middle. When Zidane confirmed Mbappé would play no part against Italy, speculation spread quickly that the pair were not seeing eye to eye.

Boulma rejected those claims. He said no private jet was waiting in Paris to take Mbappé back to Madrid, and that there was no tension between Zidane and the striker, who was being rested for the Italy match. The report was published on November 12, 2026, ahead of kick-off in the fixture.