French team: “It’s a failure”, Deschamps’ decision which hurts Zidane

During his time on the bench of the France team, Didier Deschamps completely missed out on a great binational talent.

By Manu Tournoux · French Football Weekly

Published: Tuesday, 20 October 2026 at 6:29 PM

Key Things to Know

French Football Weekly and pundit Pierre Ménès argue Didier Deschamps made a failure by not securing Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Deschamps left the 19-year-old midfielder out of France's 2026 World Cup squad, deeming him not ready.
Bouaddi, who now plays for Manchester City, subsequently chose to represent Morocco at international level.

The Story in 60 Seconds

Former France manager Didier Deschamps' decision to leave midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi out of his 2026 World Cup squad resulted in the player choosing Morocco, a move French Football Weekly and pundit Pierre Ménès have labeled a failure. The 19-year-old Manchester City player, previously capped 10 times for the France under-21s, subsequently opted to represent the Atlas Lions at the tournament.

Ménès argued that France should have secured Bouaddi earlier, claiming Deschamps' stance influenced the player's choice. The report notes that new French manager Zinedine Zidane has now missed out on a talent who would have suited his preferred style of play.

Read the full article on French Football Weekly

French team: “It’s a failure”, Deschamps’ decision which hurts Zidane

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