France forward Ousmane Dembele has defended his national team captain Kylian Mbappe, saying criticism of the Real Madrid striker has gone "too far".

Mbappe is the subject of intense scrutiny in both Spain - where Real failed to win a trophy this season - and his home nation since taking over the France captaincy in 2023.

"The criticism towards him is very, very unfair. Some people go a bit too far with the criticism of Kylian," Dembele told Spanish newspaper Marca.

"He's an incredible player and a very good person off the pitch. Some people overdo the criticism because he's Kylian Mbappe. They shouldn't keep going after him.

"Whether he ties his shoelaces or not, whether he pulls up his socks or not... it's too much. He's still a human being. With the France team, he's very good with us, he's a leader."

Dembele is a contender for this year's Ballon d'Or, having helped Paris St-Germain - whom Mbappe left in 2024 for Real Madrid - to their second successive Champions League title.

He and Mbappe are both likely to start France's World Cup opener against Senegal on Tuesday, with group fixtures against Iraq and Norway to follow.

Dembele also paid tribute to coach Didier Deschamps, who announced last year that he will step down after the World Cup following more than a decade in charge of the national side.

"He's simply an exceptional coach," Dembele said. "He will forever remain a legend among French national team coaches."

Deschamps guided France to the World Cup title in 2018 and another final four years later.

Mbappe netted a hat-trick in the 2022 final, which Dembele also started, having also scored the fourth goal in the 4-2 win over Croatia in 2018.

Asked about the prospect of former France great Zinedine Zidane succeeding Deschamps, Dembele spoke positively of the idea.

"We hope to welcome him one day to the France bench. I'm convinced he would do a fantastic job," he added.

Zidane, who won the World Cup as a player alongside Deschamps in 1998, later enjoyed major success coaching Real Madrid and has long been linked with the France job.

The 53-year-old has repeatedly declined to discuss the position while Deschamps remains in charge. (BBC)

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