France national team: "Behaviors I've never seen before," Rabiot's furious outburst

The third-place match for the 2026 World Cup left indelible marks and a whiff of scandal in the French national team's locker room. After Les Bleus' heavy defeat (6-4) against England in Miami, midfielder Adrien Rabiot lost his temper, openly criticizing the attitude of some of his teammates.

A first "shameful" period

Trailing 0-4 at halftime, the French completely collapsed in the first half. This collective debacle, according to the AC Milan player, was due to a blatant lack of commitment from some of the team's key players: "We started the first half in a rather shameful way. I saw behavior from some players that I'd never seen before. It's a bit disappointing, because it was the last match to make a good showing in this competition," Rabiot told BeIN Sports.

Known for his outspokenness, the midfielder lamented that the team had "botched things" after the disappointment of the semi-final loss against Spain. While a spirited response emerged after the break, allowing Les Bleus to score four goals, the damage had already been done: "In the first half, some behaviors were unacceptable," he insisted.

The tribute to the staff and Deschamps' botched farewell

Despite his anger, Adrien Rabiot was keen to acknowledge the work of Didier Deschamps and his staff (Guy Stéphan, Franck Raviot, Cyril Moine) who brought the team back to the top. This match against England marked Deschamps' very last game after 14 years at the helm of Les Bleus. A disappointing send-off that the team would have loved to cap off with a bronze medal.

Deschamps refuses to criticize his players: "It was me who made a mistake."

When questioned at a press conference about Rabiot's inflammatory remarks, the outgoing coach adopted a conciliatory tone, taking full responsibility for the initial tactical fiasco: "It was my mistake. I should have made choices from the start of the match, and perhaps things would have gone better afterwards. [...] I've never judged players, characters, or different personalities in front of you, and I'm not going to end up like that," the French coach declared.

Having made four changes at half-time, Deschamps admitted that he "could have made eight", while politely conceding that "some players could have done better".