France winger Ousmane Dembele has defended captain Kylian Mbappe against growing criticism ahead of the 2026 World Cup and warned rivals not to underestimate Lionel Messi despite the Argentine’s age.
Mbappe has faced scrutiny in recent weeks after he and Michael Olise briefly left the France training camp for a trip to Spain. Social media attention followed after photographs emerged of the Real Madrid forward with actress Ester Exposito. Reports surrounding his injury rehabilitation and alleged tensions involving a member of Alvaro Arbeloa’s coaching staff have also kept him in the headlines.
Dembele believes the criticism has gone too far. “They’ve been very unfair to him. They go a bit overboard with the criticism of Kylian because he’s an incredible player. A great person off the field. I’ve known him for a long time. The Paris Saint-Germain winger doubled down on his support for the France captain.
“They go overboard with the criticism just because it’s Kylian Mbappe. You shouldn’t be so hard on him. Dembele also dismissed the intense focus on Mbappe’s every action away from the pitch. “Whether he ties his shoelaces, whether he doesn’t tie them, whether he pulls up his socks, whether he doesn’t put them on… It’s too much. Because he’s still a human being and a player of exceptional quality. France open their World Cup campaign as one of the tournament favourites. Dembele insisted Mbappe remains a central figure inside the squad.
“Here in the French national team, he gets along very well with us. He’s a leader, the captain of our team, and a very important player. While defending his international teammate, Dembele also reserved special praise for Argentina captain Lionel Messi. Speaking to Marca, Dembele said: “He can win every trophy possible. I already saw him at Barcelona. Age doesn’t change anything. He’s the best I’ve ever seen, the best that football has ever seen.”
Messi will play his sixth World Cup this summer. Dembele expects the 38-year-old to remain decisive. “He’s still quite dangerous. It’s difficult to stop him even at 38. He may be that age, but he’ll always have those qualities. We’ll have to be careful with him because he’s capable of winning again. France will hope Mbappe leads their challenge for the trophy, while Dembele’s comments suggest the squad remains firmly behind its captain despite the noise surrounding him.
