Mbappe’s message reflects the scale of Deschamps’ influence. The forward has thanked the manager for giving him the opportunity to represent France on football’s biggest stage and described their shared years as a source of excellent memories.
He also wished Deschamps well in his “new adventure”, while highlighting the responsibility attached to wearing the France shirt. That relationship has been central to Mbappe’s rise as the team’s leading attacking figure and public face.
Deschamps leaves with a rare place in football history. He captained France to the 1998 World Cup on home soil before managing the team to another triumph in Russia in 2018. Only three people have won the tournament as both player and coach.
The next appointment will be judged against that legacy, and Zinedine Zidane is likely to remain the most prominent name in the conversation. His standing in French football is unmatched, combining the 1998 World Cup with the 1998 Ballon d’Or and three World Player of the Year awards.
Zidane also brings elite coaching experience from two spells at Real Madrid, where he delivered major honours before leaving management in 2021. His appointment would offer France a successor with immediate authority, though the transition would still require careful handling of an established squad.
France’s play-off against England will therefore be more than a final fixture. It is Deschamps’ last opportunity to shape the team from the touchline and Mbappe’s first public marker of a changing national-team era.
The next storyline will be whether France can finish Deschamps’ tenure with a win, and how quickly the federation turns succession discussion into a decision.