Mbappé reaffirms his commitment to France after missing recent games

By JEROME PUGMIRE The Associated Press

FILE - France's Kylian Mbappe looks up as he wears a face mask during a team training session in Leipzig, Germany, Thursday, June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, file)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hassan Ammar]

PARIS (AP) — Kylian Mbappé has reaffirmed his commitment to France despite missing recent games. He says “there’s nothing bigger than the national team.” The 2018 World Cup winner was left out for Nations League matches against Israel and Italy last month. Coach Didier Deschamps said “it’s better that way” before adding the player’s struggles were physical and mental. Mbappé is France’s captain and was also absent from a previous gathering in October but still played for Real Madrid. In an interview with Canal Plus, Mbappé said his “love for the France team hasn’t changed.”