Former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) footballer Jerome Rothen believes France head coach Didier Deschamps will not choose Kylian Mbappe as the side's next captain.
Long-serving Les Bleus skipper Hugo Lloris announced his retirement from international football earlier this week. This has prompted plenty of debate about who will be chosen to lead the 2018 FIFA World Cup winners going forward.
Renowned French journalist Julien Laurens recently tweeted that Kylian Mbappe is on track to take over the armband for the national team. However, former France international Rothen does not believe that is the case. He said on the football podcast Rothen s'enflamme (translated from French to English by Twitter):
"If it was me, Mbappé would be the new captain of the Blues. But knowing Didier Deschamps and his mode of operation, I think he will not put him as captain."
Rothen went on to provide his reason for why Mbappe may not receive the armband:
"Why? Because he does just too much noise."
Not much is known about what exactly the former midfielder was referring to in his comments about the PSG superstar. However, it is worth noting that Mbappe was in the news prior to the start of and during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The forward refused to take part in France's photoshoot before the World Cup due to sponsorship reasons. According to talkSPORT, he backed out due to a longstanding image rights issue.
Mbappe was reportedly uncomfortable promoting fast food joints and betting outlets. France's football association notably has ties with Coca-Cola, KFC and Uber Eats, as well as betting company Betclic.
News about his personal life also made headlines during the World Cup, including speculations over rumored girlfriend and transgender model Ines Rau. It was later reported by some outlets that he was dating Belgian model Stephanie Rose Bertram, the ex-wife of former PSG defender Gregory Van der Wiel.
Jerome Rothens previously criticized Kylian Mbappe for contract issue at PSG
Jerome Rothen's recent comments aren't the first instance of the former footballer criticizing Kylian Mbappe.
In October last year, Rothen slammed Mbappe for putting pressure on PSG after reports emerged that he wished to leave the club. Those reports came just months after the France superstar signed an improved contract with the Parisians.
Rothen told RMC Sport (as quoted by Football365):
“I think it’s put huge pressure on the club. The huge pressure was already there with his attitude, and he doesn’t hide it. Criticism is flying around and yet he continues to sulk. That’s the problem that must be really deep-rooted.”
Despite those reports early in the season, Kylian Mbappe has done his job on the pitch to perfection in the ongoing campaign.
In 27 matches across all competitions for PSG, he has scored 22 goals and laid out five assists. Christophe Galtier's side are four points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and have lost just once across competitions so far this season.