Ligue 1 Golden Boot joins Camavinga and Kolo Muani

It’s been a few hours since Didier Deschamps revealed the 26-man Les Bleus World Cup squad on Thursday night, but his choice to leave out some big names, especially Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga, has sparked plenty of reactions.

Deschamps explained, "Camavinga was coming off a difficult season, where he had played less due to injuries."

"He's still young. I have choices to make, a squad structure to respect in terms of the distribution between defence, midfield, and attack. But I can imagine his disappointment tonight, and I understand it," said Deschamps.

Deschamps announces the final France team for the World Cup

Meanwhile, a supposed Instagram post from Camavinga has been circulating on social media, though its authenticity hasn’t been confirmed. It reads:

"Not the news I was hoping for, but that’s football. Of course it hurts, especially knowing how much it means to wear this shirt. I’ll be supporting and cheering the team from home every step of the way.

"Wishing my brothers the very best at the World Cup, go make the country proud and bring it home. I'll keep working, keep fighting, and come back stronger."

On the other hand, football pundit and former Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder said he understands why Deschamps left Camavinga out.

"Honestly, I'm not surprised at all. This is what happens when you play stupid football - that red card against Bayern was the moment everything changed.

"Talent? Yes, he has it. But at this level, you need consistency, discipline, and intelligence. Right now, Camavinga doesn't have that. Deschamps is right to choose players who can be trusted in big moments. Discipline over potential.

"Sorry, but if you’re making childish mistakes at Real Madrid (a red card against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final), you don’t deserve to wear the France shirt at a World Cup. It’s time for him to wake up. This could be the kick he needs… or the end of his international dream."

Deschamps also left out Randal Kolo Muani, who played a key role for Les Bleus at the 2022 World Cup and missed a crucial chance against Argentina. That 123rd-minute one-on-one likely still haunts him, as it kept France from winning 4-3 and led to Argentina’s penalty shootout victory.

There’s also another notable omission from the long list of absentees - Leny Yoro, Wesley Fofana, Nordi Mukiele, Castello Lukeba, Corentin Tolisso, Matteo Guendouzi, Youssouf Fofana, Moussa Diaby, Elye Wahi, Mathys Tel - whose call-up was somewhat expected: Esteban Lepaul.

The 26-year-old Rennes forward still hasn’t played for the French national team, but he's on track to win Ligue 1's Golden Boot for the 2025/26 season with 19 goals so far. As one X user pointed out, what more does a striker need to do to make the squad if scoring the most goals in the league isn’t enough? For Deschamps, it seems that’s still not sufficient.