Mbappé’s Campaign to Keep Deschamps with France

Kylian Mbappé is not ready to let Didier Deschamps go. Not to another bench, and certainly not to Italy.

The France captain, already the standard-bearer of a new generation, has stepped into another role in recent weeks: self-appointed lobbyist for his manager’s future.

Deschamps is heading into his final World Cup with Les Bleus. His departure from the French setup after the 2026 tournament is now part of the national storyline, even if the 55-year-old has been deliberately vague about what comes next. He has refused to close any door, whether that means a return to the day-to-day grind of club football or another shot at international management elsewhere.

Mbappé is trying to slam at least one of those doors shut.

Mbappé’s “pressure” campaign

Inside the France camp, Mbappé has made no secret of his stance. He wants Deschamps’ next chapter to be anything but a rival. Speaking to M6, the forward laid out the simplest tribute he can imagine.

"The best way to pay tribute to him is to win because he loves to win. We're going to make sure he has the best of the recent World Cups. Hopefully, it will be his last because I hope he doesn't play for another team."

That final line says everything. Mbappé does not want to see Deschamps in another technical area, plotting against the country he rebuilt into a modern powerhouse.

He went even further, openly admitting he is trying to shape his coach’s thinking.

"I'm putting pressure on him," he said.

This is not the usual polite distance between star player and national team manager. It sounds more like a captain fighting to protect a legacy — and to keep a familiar face from turning into a future enemy.

Italy lurking in the background

The threat, in French eyes, has a name: Italy.

Deschamps’ relationship with Italian football runs deep. He captained Juventus, then later coached the club, and his stature in the country has never really faded. As the Azzurri search for stability after a turbulent era that has included missing multiple World Cups, his profile fits the job description almost perfectly: World Cup winner as player and coach, tournament specialist, master of dressing-room politics.

Speculation has repeatedly tied him to the Italy role. The idea is logical. The fit looks natural. On paper, it makes sense for the four-time world champions.

Mbappé wants no part of it.

Asked specifically about Deschamps being linked with the Azzurri hotseat, the France captain didn’t dress up his answer.

"They said Italy, that would be awful," he remarked.

No diplomacy. No soft landing. For Mbappé, Deschamps in blue is fine — as long as it’s the French shade.

One last World Cup together

For now, the conversation about Deschamps’ future has to live in the background. The immediate task is enormous and familiar: win the World Cup.

After the heartbreak of the 2022 final, France return with the same ambition and a sharper edge. The 2026 tournament will close Deschamps’ long reign, a tenure that has delivered a World Cup, a Nations League, a European Championship final, and a permanent place in French football history.

He gets one more shot. One more month to shape another generation. One last campaign to leave with “maximum results,” as the federation has framed it.

The path begins against Senegal on June 16 in Group I. It is a tricky opener against physically imposing, tournament-savvy opponents. Iraq follow on June 22, a different kind of challenge, then Norway four days later to close out the group — a team with enough talent to punish any lapse in focus.

Every step of that journey will be framed by the same question: how does this end for Deschamps?

Mbappé has already given his preferred answer. Win the World Cup, hand his coach the perfect farewell, and make sure that if Deschamps ever walks into another dugout, it will not be wearing the colors of a rival nation plotting France’s downfall.