Tchouameni's France Snub: Mourinho Confirms No Influence

Aurélien Tchouameni will sit out France’s next four matches, and the call did not come from Madrid.

Zinedine Zidane, in his first squad as France manager, chose to leave out the Real Madrid midfielder, who has been wrestling with a groin problem and has barely featured this season. Tchouameni has only three appearances to his name so far, with just one start – a 3-2 defeat to Elche – as his body continues to lag behind the rhythm of the campaign.

On Saturday, on the eve of the Madrid derby, José Mourinho moved to kill any suspicion that Real Madrid had leaned on France to protect their player.

“I had no influence on the decision. I didn't call Zidane and Zidane didn't call me. It took me by surprise,” Mourinho said at his press conference. “But they (Zidane and Tchouameni) discussed and agreed that the best thing for him was to use this break to do the pre-season he couldn't do.”

No politics, no pressure. Just a pragmatic pact between national coach and player.

Mourinho has been blunt all season about why Tchouameni has struggled for minutes: the missing pre-season has left him chasing his own fitness. The groin issue has only deepened that gap. For a midfielder built on intensity and range, half-sharp is useless.

The Portugal coach underlined how badly the 24-year-old needs this window to reset his body and finally catch up with the demands of his role. The international break, instead of flights and 90-minute shifts, will become a personal training camp.

From Madrid’s perspective, it is a gift.

Mourinho did not hide his satisfaction at the arrangement: “The national team manager let him know that he was counting on him for the future and they agreed on this decision which, for us, is a privilege. Because after the derby, he will have his days off and will be able to come back stronger.”

The message from Clairefontaine is clear: this is not a demotion. Zidane still sees Tchouameni as part of France’s future spine. The short-term sacrifice is designed to secure the long-term version of the player both club and country want.

The calendar now plays into Madrid’s hands. After Sunday’s derby, Mourinho’s side do not play again until October 10, when they face Villarreal. Four days after that comes a Champions League tie against Roma. Between the final whistle in the derby and that stretch of fixtures lies a rare commodity in elite football: time.

Time to heal the groin. Time to build the base he never had in July and August. Time, at last, for Tchouameni to turn from sporadic cameo into the regular starter Mourinho has been waiting for.