'We feel a lovelessness towards Kylian Mbappé', reveals FFF brand ...

With the international retirement of Antoine Griezmann (33), there is a void to fill for France, not just on the pitch but off it too, as L’Équipe have revealed. 

On the pitch, Griezmann was a key player for Didier Deschamps, evidenced by his omnipresence at major international tournaments in recent years. The Atlético Madrid man also had a role in the dressing room as vice-captain, however, beyond that, he was also prominent in the media and in marketing campaigns. 

With Griezmann gone, the FFF are now without a big start for their campaigns, as a brand partner has revealed, speaking to L’Équipe. “Griezmann’s retirement is harmful because people were unanimous about him,” revealed the source. That is in contrast to Kylian Mbappé, captain of Les Bleus, who does not have the same mass appeal as Griezmann.

“We feel a lovelessness towards Mbappé. He doesn’t bring people together. We note it in the engagement around our campaigns,” the anonymous FFF brand partner told L’Équipe. The partner added that Aurélien Tchouaméni, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé all have the potential to be prominent in FFF merchandising campaigns going forward.

Despite this statement from one of FFF’s partners, Mbappé’s name is the one most often printed on the back of France shirts, currently. He is ahead of Barcola, Mike Maignan, Jules Koundé and Michael Olise.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle