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While Les Bleus were without captain Kylian Mbappe for their two October UEFA Nations League games due to injury, the same is not the case for the ensuing November international break.
Indeed, Mbappe is missing from the France squad for games against Israel and Italy with the side looking to maintain their position as quarterfinal qualifiers. Yet his absence is not down to any fitness issue.
Instead, Mbappe has been sensationally left out of the squad by France head coach Didier Deschamps, who indicated there may be trouble behind the scenes between player and federation.
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As part of his squad announcement for the incoming games, Deschamps confirmed he spoke to Mbappe before making the call to leave him out, and that his absence will likely be temporary.
So what's going on inside the France squad? It's all a bit unclear, but The Sporting News brings you everything we know so far regarding the exile of one of the world's greatest footballers.
Why is Kylian Mbappe not playing for France?
When confirming his 23-man squad for November fixtures against Israel and Italy in Nations League play, Didier Deschamps confirmed that it was his decision to leave superstar Mbappe out of the side.
It was a sensational move, but one he said was likely for this international break only. While Mbappe missed the October international break due to fitness concerns, Deschamps' comments seemed to hint that the star was available for selection and was merely left out on the coach's decision.
“I’ve had discussions with him, it is a decision that I took for this block of matches only,” Deschamps said in a press conference. “Kylian wanted to come.
"We may not agree on everything. These are discussions I can have with the players. I'm not here to be told by the players that I'm the best and the most handsome. I listen to them. I've always been inspired by these discussions, whether individual or collective, protecting all the players.
"That's why I can have many discussions that can go beyond the sphere of the pitch, because they know very well that we know who has spoken if something comes up. These exchanges are important to me. With the advantage of hindsight, calm and as much clarity as possible, I make the decisions that seem best to me."
It's unclear exactly why Mbappe has been left out, but it could potentially be chalked up to poor recent form for Real Madrid. He has just one goal in his last three La Liga matches, and has been blanked in his last three Champions League appearances on top of that.
Mbappe was heavily criticized for his poor performance in the embarrassing 4-0 El Clasico defeat to Barcelona in which he was caught offside an astonishing eight times through the match.
He also came under fire for missing the October international window to recover his fitness, as he was dealing with a muscle injury at the time but also did play games for Real Madrid both immediately prior to and following the break.
Mbappe seemed to confirm Deschamps' decision himself, saying in response to his absence: "It's my responsibility to make decisions. I think it's better that way." In fact, those comments seemed to suggest that this decision was not down to his on-field form, but instead potential off-field trouble that he is attempting to own up to.
Who will replace Kylian Mbappe as France captain?
Deschamps and France face two tricky games in the coming weeks, as they face Israel on November 14 before hitting the road for a quick turnaround against Italy in Milan three days later.
With Mbappe absent and vice-captain Antoine Griezmann stepping down from international football in the summer, Deschamps has been forced to look elsewhere for a leader.
Midfielder Aurelin Tchouameni wore the armband in wins over Israel and Belgium in October, but with N'Golo Kante back in the squad, things have changed. The Al Ittihad star missed out on selection last month, but his experience saw him named captain for the Israel match, as he was against Belgium in September.
Arsenal centre-back William Saliba or AC Milan duo Theo Hernandez and Mike Maignan could be among the options should Kante not play against Italy.
Kylian Mbappe's France appearances, goals, trophies
Mbappe is currently third on France's all-time top scorer list with 48 goals in 86 games for Les Bleus narrowly behind Thierry Henry on 51 and outright leader Olivier Giroud on 57.
He has some work to do to break into France's top 10 appearance-makers with 97 caps the current threshold with former captain Hugo Lloris out in front on 145.
Since his senior international debut in 2017, Mbappe has played in two European Championships and two FIFA World Cups for France.
He failed to reach the final in both European tournaments, but scored in the 2018 World Cup final as France secured a first world title since 1998, and clinched the Golden Boot as they lost the 2022 final to Lionel Messi and Argentina.
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