“He made a huge mistake”: this huge falling out between Adrien Rabiot and Didier Deschamps

In 2018, shortly before the World Cup in Russia, Adrien Rabiot made headlines in the sports news. The midfielder was not yet a leader of the French team, and he had attracted the wrath of Didier Deschamps.

It is an episode that most people still remember, more than six years after the events. It was May 2018 when Didier Deschamps, the coach of the French team, unveils its list of 23 players selected for the World Cup organized in Russia. Among the notable absentees is Adrien Rabiot, then a midfielder recruited by Paris Saint-Germain. Visibly disappointed not to appear on this coveted list, James Rabiot’s brother made his discontent heard through an email addressed to the French technician.

The purpose of this email? To notify Didier Deschamps his categorical refusal to be contacted in the event of injury to one of the players selected for the tournament. A statement that was quick to make the coach react.

Didier Deschamps: his reaction following Adrien Rabiot’s statement.

“He made a huge mistake (…) I dare to hope that through decisions like this, it will allow him to mature, to reflect. We must be professional in all circumstances”said Didier Deschamps in response to the email sent by Adrien Rabiot, before adding: “I take note of it, I’m not going to tell you that it makes me happy but I’m not going to make a fuss about it for days.”

However, time seems to have calmed relations between Adrien Rabiot and Didier Deschamps. It was finally in 2020 that the player donned the tricolor jersey once again. A reunion with his coach who, according to him, went perfectly. “We have always had good relations, even before what happened before the World Cup,” Adrien Rabiot declared during a press conference organized in 2022: “After that, there were two years where we had no contact, before I came back in 2020. When I came back, We immediately spoke with the coach, and it went very well. I didn’t know what to expect at the beginning, but we had a very good relationship right away and then, from selection to selection, this relationship really improved. We got to know each other better, he understands me better, he knows my personality better and, today, we are much closer.” A relationship with ups and downs, which is going well today since Adrien Rabiot is currently among France’s representatives at Euro 2024.