Zidane's Early Decisions: Mbappé Remains Captain
Zinedine Zidane’s reign with France is barely underway, but the outline of his project is already clear. On Friday, he named his first 23-man squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures and settled one major question immediately: Kylian Mbappé keeps the armband.
No drama. No suspense. The new boss backed his superstar.
But he also made it clear this will be his France, his ideas, his structure.
Mbappé’s position: the left edge of Zidane’s attack
The headline decision was not just about leadership, but about where Mbappé will actually play.
Speaking at his press conference, Zidane underlined the forward’s flexibility within a refreshed group that includes five uncapped players. He praised Mbappé’s ability to operate across the front line, then pointed to his own preference.
“He is capable of playing in all three positions. He has said it himself,” Zidane told reporters. “Me, for example, I like him a lot on the left.”
That one sentence will set the tone for weeks of debate. At Real Madrid, Mbappé has already sparked arguments over whether he should be used through the middle or allowed to drift in from the flank. Zidane, who knows the pressures of the Bernabéu better than most, appears to see him as the same devastating left-sided force that shredded defences for years at club and country.
The message is simple: Mbappé is the captain, but he still fits into a structure. Not the other way around.
“False debate”: Zidane bats away defensive criticism
The conversation quickly turned to an old Mbappé talking point: his work without the ball.
In Spain, Real Madrid’s attacking stars have been scrutinised for what they do – or don’t do – defensively. That narrative followed Mbappé into this press conference, with a journalist questioning his defensive contribution and hinting at a perceived lack of effort.
Zidane shut it down.
“It is a false subject, a false debate, it will have to be managed like all the other players,” he replied. “When we do not have the ball, we will have to make an effort. It will not be a problem for Kylian.”
No special rules. No indulgence. The captain is expected to graft like everyone else when France are out of possession.
The line was firm, and it did more than defend Mbappé. It sketched out the collective standard Zidane wants: a team that runs together, presses together, suffers together. The armband, in his view, does not exempt anyone from the dirty work.
Steering clear of politics
The press conference did not stay on football alone.
Questions surfaced about the 2027 French presidential elections and the recent controversy involving Mbappé’s refusal to wear a t-shirt fully supporting Ceuta residents. It was an invitation for Zidane to step into the political arena, or at least to hint at his own stance.
He refused.
“I am going to dedicate myself to this task, manager of the France national team,” he said. “However, I have convictions like everyone else, I am a citizen. As for sharing them... Everyone does as they want, but I am going to try to dedicate myself to this task.”
It was a clear line in the sand. Zidane acknowledged he has personal beliefs, but he will not use the France job as a platform to broadcast them. For a figure with his stature, that decision carries weight. For his players, it also removes a layer of noise around an already scrutinised dressing room.
His priority, at least publicly, is football. Nothing else.
A new era begins in Kocaeli
The Zidane era will get its first real test on September 25, when France travel to Kocaeli to face Turkiye in League A of the Nations League. Three days later, they head to Brussels to meet Belgium.
Two away games. Two intense atmospheres. No soft launch.
Those matches will offer the first glimpse of how this “refreshed” France side looks under their new coach, and where exactly Mbappé fits into the tactical jigsaw. Does Zidane immediately pin him to that left side he admires so much? How quickly do the newcomers adapt to the demands out of possession that he has already spelled out?
The answers will not just shape the start of Zidane’s tenure. They will tell France whether this is an evolution of what came before – or the beginning of something entirely different.
