The level of interest in international football – especially in those UEFA Nations League Qualifiers – is nowhere near the popularity of the Champions League or Top 5 European leagues.The latest developments in the relationship between the French national team, Kylian Mbappe and his team, Real Madrid, only confirm that the players themselves have priorities other than their national sides.##NAJAVA_MECA_8389313##On Thursday, Les Bleus’ boss, Didier Deschamps, announced the squad for the games against Israel and Belgium without Mbappe’s name on the list.”I’m not here to take risks. Kylian has an injury problem, which is nothing serious, but in order for him to recover well, he needs treatment. That’s the only reason why he’s not on the list.”However, only 48 hours later, the ‘injured’ Mbappe started the game for Real Madrid against Villarreal (2-0) and clocked 70 minutes. The Frenchman didn’t even look too happy when Carlo Ancelotti subbed him off.Valverde sinks the Yellow Submarine with a goal and an assistAs expected, the French media, led by L’Equipe, began to deal with this topic last night.”Mbappe is currently recovering from a thigh injury, so it is understandable that he is not on the list. Or is it not like that? Not only was the 2018 World Cup winner in the Real Madrid lineup last night, but he played in the starting XI,” wrote Alexandre Affalo. “After the toxic break-up with Paris Saint-Germain this summer, the French national team was the only place where Kylian Mbappe had widespread support. But in just six months, he has thrown it all away. This time it’s really hard to point the finger at anyone but him.”##EDITORS_CHOICE##”Not ready for the national team, but a starter at Real Madrid”, L’Equipe says in the headline. “Mbbape damages his own image and exposes the coach to ridicule after such statements”.At the end, the reputable newspaper reminds us that this is not the first time that a Los Blancos’ player rejects his national duties. Ferland Mendy did the same recently.”Obviously, Real Madrid is always the one who wins in the end,” states the L’Equipe journalist at the end of the article.All this shows how FIFA is slowly losing the battle with the powerful clubs. And there is no doubt that the ‘Mbappe case’ will encourage other European giants to follow this path.
