French press reports have revealed new details regarding the tension between French national team stars Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé, confirming that the relationship between the duo remains strained despite public statements made by both players to downplay the dispute.
Kylian Mbappé spoke in recent days about the crisis surrounding the Ballon d'Or award, which was won by Ousmane Dembélé, stating: "I have already spoken with him about this topic, there is no tension, and I don't believe there are any real problems regarding it. I am completely calm."
Despite this, the French website Foot Mercato indicated that a member of the French delegation had confirmed last week that the relationship between the players was no longer what it used to be, and that the distance between them had widened recently.
During the press conference preceding the match against Italy, Dembélé was asked about his relationship with Mbappé, but he was careful not to address the issue publicly, saying: "Nothing as I said, I will not comment on all this. These small squabbles on social media, at twenty-nine years old, I do not focus on that; I focus on what happens on the pitch. Yes, we talked, and we sit next to each other at the table, there is no problem."
Mutual misunderstanding between Mbappé and Dembélé
According to the newspaper L'Équipe, the reality of what happened between the players appears more complex than the statements released to the media, as each player's comments left an impact within the French national team camp.
The account suggests that Mbappé's statement, in which he affirmed that he had spoken with Dembélé and that there were no tensions between them, surprised several people within the Ballon d'Or winner's camp, especially since actual communication between the players before the start of the Clairefontaine camp did not exist to the extent implied by the statement.
According to the report, there was no direct communication between them before the camp, except for a message sent that received no reply.
Reports indicate that the misunderstanding was mutual, as Mbappé was surprised by Dembélé's reaction upon arriving at Clairefontaine, after the latter felt anger towards his teammate.
The report also noted that Mbappé was not accustomed to such disputes lasting for a long period, despite some previous verbal clashes between them.
During the current camp, Mbappé's inner circle within the French national team changed, becoming closer to Michael Olise, with reports describing this situation as a "cold war" between Mbappé and Dembélé.
Thus, despite the players' public confirmation that there was no problem between them, French reports indicate that the relationship between the two French national team stars remains tense behind the scenes.
