France: Zidane Names Mbappé’s Vice-Captains for UEFA Nations League

Zinédine Zidane has settled the leadership structure of the France national team, keeping Kylian Mbappé as captain and appointing Ousmane Dembélé, Adrien Rabiot and Jules Koundé as his vice-captains. Dembélé is first in the order of succession, followed by Rabiot and then Koundé. The decision is one of the first major choices of Zidane’s tenure as France manager and gives the squad a defined chain of command whenever Mbappé is absent or leaves the pitch.

Mbappé’s position was not in doubt. The Real Madrid forward has 106 appearances for France and has worn the armband since being appointed captain in 2023. Zidane had already made clear that the responsibility would remain with him under the new management team. The manager also held discussions with Mbappé before this first selection, including a conversation about the forward’s positioning on the pitch. That exchange helped establish the relationship between the new coach and the national-team captain.

Dembélé now becomes the principal deputy. The Ballon d’Or holder has 67 caps and 13 goals for France, placing him just ahead of Rabiot in international experience. The vice-captaincy is a new responsibility for the winger, who did not hold that role during Didier Deschamps’ time in charge. His promotion gives the France leadership group an attacking player who has built considerable experience in the squad and now stands directly behind Mbappé in the hierarchy.

Rabiot is second among the deputies, with 66 appearances and seven goals for the national team. Like Dembélé, he had not been part of a formal vice-captaincy structure under Deschamps. His seniority and long presence in the France group have nevertheless placed him near the top of Zidane’s selection. Koundé completes the group with 56 caps. Unlike the other two deputies, the Barcelona defender had already been used among Deschamps’ vice-captains.

The order reflects a clear preference for international seniority. Dembélé, Rabiot and Koundé are among the most experienced players in the current group, and their cap totals form a straightforward sequence behind Mbappé. The approach also resembles a tradition associated with Spanish football, particularly at Real Madrid, where time spent in the dressing room can influence the captaincy. Zidane knows that environment closely, and his first decision with France places experience at the centre of the leadership structure.

That clarity marks a change from the final period of Deschamps’ tenure. The former France manager did not establish a fixed hierarchy behind Mbappé. When the captain was unavailable or was replaced during a match, the armband was carried by several players, including Mike Maignan, Ibrahima Konaté, Aurélien Tchouaméni, N’Golo Kanté and Lucas Digne. The range of names showed the depth of senior figures in the squad, but it did not produce a settled order of succession.

Several established internationals are outside Zidane’s first group of deputies. Maignan, Konaté and Dayot Upamecano will not take one of the three designated roles for this international window. Tchouaméni, who had been number two in the captaincy order at the end of Deschamps’ reign, is absent from the current gathering. Their exclusion does not remove them from France’s wider senior group, but it confirms that Zidane has chosen a different structure for the opening phase of his tenure.

The new hierarchy will be tested immediately during France’s UEFA Nations League schedule. The Bleus are due to face Turkey on Friday, followed by two matches against Belgium on September 28 and October 5, with Italy scheduled for October 2. Those four fixtures will provide the first competitive setting for Zidane’s leadership choices. Mbappé remains the central figure, while Dembélé, Rabiot and Koundé now have clearly defined responsibilities whenever the captain is not on the field.