Kylian Mbappe has reaffirmed his commitment to France despite missing recent games, saying "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, with coach Didier Deschamps saying "it's better that way" and adding that the player's struggles were physical and mental.
Mbappe is France's captain and was also absent from a previous gathering in October because of a minor thigh injury, but nevertheless played for Real Madrid.
▲ Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, celebrating scoring a goal during a La Liga game against Girona on Saturday, has reaffirmed his commitment to France despite missing recent games. REUTERS
"I've always said there's nothing bigger than the national team," Mbappe said on Sunday night during a television interview with Canal Plus. "My love for the France team hasn't changed."
Deschamps' reference to his mental state led some observers to speculate Mbappe suffered from depression.
He took a moment to explain that he has not.
"There are people who really are in a depression and who should be helped. This is not a subject which should be taken lightly," Mbappe said. "I am not going to claim that (I had a depression)."
However, he alluded to unfair treatment when saying "people ask a lot of me" as captain compared to his predecessor, the goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, and also took a swipe at those who questioned his dedication to France.
"I've always put it above anything else. I even gave my nose," Mbappe said, referring to his broken nose at the European Championship this year.
Mbappe, who turns 26 on Dec 20, is third on France's all-time scoring list with 48 goals, only Thierry Henry (51) and Olivier Giroud (57) are ahead of him.
He scored a superb hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final, but his scoring ratio has dropped recently with two goals in the past 12 games for Les Bleus.
Mbappe said he gave the television interview because he's had enough of people talking for him in recent weeks, when his struggles with Madrid have also been widely commented upon.
"When you're a star, if you don't talk, people talk in your place. That's why I'm talking now," said Mbappe, who also spoke for the first time about reports of a rape investigation in Sweden.
Despite a difficult start to his Madrid career, he says he is "very happy" in Spain after a decade playing for Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain.
"You're jumping into the unknown because you've never left your country," he said. "I always dreamed of playing for Madrid. Always. It's the biggest club in the world."
Mbappe's arrival created huge expectations that he would improve the record 15-time Champions League winner, but he has scored a modest 11 goals in 21 games.
There have been big penalty misses at Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao, and he was caught offside multiple times with mistimed runs when Madrid lost 4-0 at home to Barcelona. Club coach Carlo Ancelotti has defended Mbappe but also said he "can play better".
Mbappe did not address his own performances further but acknowledged that Madrid's general level of play was "not at the level" fans expect.
String of problems
Real Madrid usually delivers in the Champions League when the pressure is on and its trip to face Atalanta on Tuesday is shaping up to be a crucial clash for the troubled holder.
The record winner has lost three of its first five matches and find itself 24th in the standings, with places 25 to 36 eliminated at the end of the group phase.
Madrid has been beset by a string of problems including adaptation difficulties for superstar summer signing Mbappe and several key players sidelined through injury.
Ancelotti has tried to ease the pressure on the former Paris Saint-Germain striker, who has scored 11 goals in 21 games since joining Los Blancos.
"He isn't at his best level, but we have to give him time to adapt," said Ancelotti last week. "He can do better and he's working to do that."
While Mbappe's goal rate is not a cause for particular concern, his performances have left plenty to be desired given his status as one of the world's top players.
Recent penalty misses against Liverpool in the Champions League and Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, both matches finishing in defeats, exacerbated the focus on Mbappe, who has also had off-field problems.
The striker was not part of two recent France squads, is battling with PSG over an unpaid salary claim and is also reported to be under investigation in Sweden in a rape case.
"I received nothing, no summons. I read the same thing as everyone else. The Swedish government hasn't said anything — I'm not involved," Mbappe told Canal Plus on Sunday.
Ancelotti suggested Mbappe's struggles were not just down to him but an issue of consistency affecting the whole team.
Although he accepted criticism for Madrid's form, having lost five games across all competitions already, after stumbling just twice in the whole of last season, Ancelotti said his team would fight.
"It's not a funeral — we're still fighting in all competitions," said Ancelotti, following Madrid's stumble at Athletic, the fifth of those defeats.
"We have to be optimistic, keeping in mind the problems we're having and have had.
"But we have to be optimistic because we have a quality squad. We have not been able to find our best form, but I am convinced we will sooner or later."
