French media backlash at Kylian Mbappé: “He prefers his girlfriend over the national team”

France is fuming over Kylian Mbappé: “He prefers his girlfriend over the national team”

The captain and most important player of Les Bleus left the national team’s camp in the United States and returned to Madrid because of “personal matters,” but photos of him with his partner set the country ablaze.

Ben Goldfriend, N12 Published: 11.06.26, 08:23

Kylian Mbappé and Ester Expósito | Photo: Instagram

Trouble at the top. After reaching the final in the last two World Cups, France arrived in the United States this week ahead of the opening of the 2026 World Cup, but five days before its opening match against Senegal, the media is focused on the uproar caused by the team’s biggest star, Kylian Mbappé.

It turns out that the star left the national team camp and returned to Madrid with permission because of “personal matters,” but photos revealing that the matters were time with his partner, Ester Expósito, prompted harsh criticism.

Mbappé, who is expected to play in his third World Cup, is the team’s biggest star and in the two previous tournaments scored 12 goals in 14 appearances. He is just four goals away from record scorer Miroslav Klose, and after losing the final in Qatar 2022 despite scoring a hat trick, he arrived in the United States aiming to make amends and win the trophy for the second time in his career.

Mbappé in the national team kit | Photo: Sport 5

However, the outing with his partner in Madrid drew plenty of criticism. The local media attacked him, writing: “Instead of preparing for the World Cup, Mbappé prefers spending time with his girlfriend instead of being with the national team. It is unacceptable that the captain does not put the team first.”

On social media, many fans also claimed that the star chose his personal life over being with the national team just days before the start of the tournament.

France will face Senegal on 16.6, Iraq on 23.6, and conclude the group stage with an interesting and difficult match against Norway on 26.6. It is expected to advance to the next round and could already meet Austria, or even world champion Argentina and Leo Messi, in the round of 32.

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