France Star Adrien Rabiot Exposes Cracks In Team, Calls Out Teammates' "Shameful" Behaviour
France midfielder Adrien Rabiot tore into his teammates for "shameful" performance against England in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff match.
- France lost two consecutive matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including the third-place playoff
- Adrien Rabiot criticised some teammates for "shameful" and half-hearted performances against England
- France conceded six goals in the third-place match, exposing long-hidden mentality weaknesses
Considered the favourites to go all the way in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026, France instead lost two successive matches, with their latest defeat coming in the third-place playoff. The loss has exposed cracks in the team that had been hidden from the fans for a long time. Speaking to the media after the game, France midfielder Adrien Rabiot did not mince his words. He called out certain players for their "shameful" behaviour during the match, accusing them of settling for half-hearted efforts rather than using the game against England to show the world what they could do.
As France went on to concede six goals against England, Rabiot did not hesitate to point fingers at his teammates, branding the performances of certain players as disgraceful.
"We started this first half in a pretty shameful way, I'd say. I saw... behaviours from certain players that I had never seen until now for a match like this. It's true that it's a bit disappointing because, well, this was the last match to make a good impression in this competition. We shouldn't forget everything we've done. It's true there is a lot of disappointment after this semifinal loss against Spain, but... but there you go, there was a job to be done right until the end," Rabiot told the media after the match.
"We can't just be content with botching things like that. Obviously, we picked ourselves up at halftime, we talked, and we said that we still needed to show a bit of pride, to show something. It was clearly better in the second half. But yeah, in the first half, certain behaviours were... pretty unacceptable," added the AC Milan midfielder.
The bronze medal match also marked the end of Didier Deschamps' stint as the manager of the French national team. Rabiot had nothing but praise for the coach and his staff for their contributions to Les Bleus over the years.
"For the rest, what we especially need to highlight tonight is also the coach because it was his last. All the staff-the coach, Guy, Franck, Cyril-they did an enormous amount of work. They brought this team back to the top with all the players who are here. And... and there you go, I think that's above all what we must remember. Obviously, we would have liked to finish with a victory so that the coach could have a better exit, but... but that doesn't change anything. It doesn't tarnish the image he has, I think, among all French people and the whole sporting world," he concluded.
France
England