DIRECT. 2026 World Cup, the Blues: “It’s never easy to be Mbappé”, Lucas Hernandez defends his teammate against criticism

The Blues train in public today at Bentley University. Event organized by FIFA, with 400 people, coming from Bentley University and also from the city of Boston. Around fifty French people, via the consulate, will also be there. Gauge chosen for security reasons but the FFF could have accommodated more people and more French people if that had been possible.

The Blues will therefore be 24, without Théo and Saliba as mentioned earlier.

V.Jamin

The Blues will go to train in the afternoon (in the evening in France).

“I have never evolved with so much talent. I’m enjoying it, it’s just happiness.”

“The change is that I’m playing. The first two seasons, I didn’t play much. The last three seasons I was more of a starter so I scored more.”

“We have a very big group. All the countries are difficult, we will have to be concentrated.

I will enjoy every moment. We’ll see what the future holds.”

“When I found out my return date, I knew I was going to have a chance. I took it.”

“He’s a good guy, I laugh a lot with him. I’ve known him since he was 19.”

“It’s hot but we’re going to acclimatize. The time difference isn’t easy. But today is the second day of training, I already feel better.”

“I’m very happy to be in the group. There’s a good atmosphere. Everything is going well.”

“The team has everything, defensively we have a very solid, strong team. Offensively, we bring a lot of danger. We have to adapt to the team opposite. If it’s a team that has possession, we will show that we are very solid. We can also keep the ball, have possession. We have a Very complete team.”

“Everyone has habits. We have a lot of space, the hotel is very good, we have everything we need. We play cards. Everyone has beautiful televisions for playing games. We have a beautiful base camp with everything at our disposal. We are in the best conditions.”

“Michael is discreet but what a player! I faced him this year. I knew he was a different player, you shouldn’t give him a second. At any time he can make the difference. I’m lucky to have him in the selection, it’s time to take advantage of him. We have an exceptional attack.”

“I stay as I am, alert, smiling… On the pitch, being competitive, showing that a World Cup is the most beautiful competition in the world. You have to enjoy, whether you play or not. When you play, everything is great but the most important thing is to be there. It’s up to us to enjoy every day, every training session. These are unique moments.”

“I’m there for the team, I don’t close any doors, I’m called to be in the middle. I’ll be there if necessary on the left, no problem.”

“Kylian is an extraordinary player. When you’re Mbappé, everyone looks at you with a magnifying glass, everything you do on the pitch, off the pitch. It’s never easy being Kylian Mbappé. He’s someone I like. He’s 100% motivated for the World Cup. I wasn’t there during the preparation. They told me that he had prepared very well. He is very motivated, he wants to start the competition. All the criticism that has been made this season, he will silence them.

More information here.

“They are two people who get along well. They are always together on and off the pitch. They make jokes, every day they are next to each other. I like them a lot, I get along well with them. They have a very close relationship. The first year when pn arrived at PSG with Ousmane, we got on even more closer to Kylian. When Kylian left, every 15 days we had him on the phone.”

“Both have extraordinary qualities, they show it in every match. Désiré is more of a technical player with the ball at his feet capable of doing one-on-ones at any time. Bardley is more depth, with speed. In training, I suffered. They are two extraordinary players. All the attackers have enormous quality.”

“He’s an excellent goalkeeper, an excellent person. He’s someone who gives his opinion. He likes to talk, he’s a leader. We all have enormous trust in him.”

Lucas Hernandez: “There are great players in the French team and at PSG. We can’t compare a club and a selection. The training, the automatisms… It’s totally different. We don’t have the same time, the same training methods. It’s up to us to adapt as we did before.”

“Compared to what he offered at PSG, he did us extraordinary good. In Paris, the coach gives him all the freedoms. Here too. It’s up to him to find the best solutions to prove on the pitch that he’s the best player in the world. I’m next to him every day, here in the selection, he doesn’t have all the mobility he can have at club but he is an extraordinary player.”

“It’s different from Europe, from France. The heat and humidity here, we were able to talk about it. We’re ready. Last year, a lot of players played in the Club World Cup. They know what to expect. We’ll have to hydrate well. The cool break during the matches will allow us to hydrate.”

“I am very confident in this team. Individually, we have quality defenders. We are all ready, we all want the competition to start. There is a lot of quality, competition. We have to stay focused and calm.”

Lucas Hernandez: “We have a superb team. We are not the only ones. We are preparing well, we are putting ourselves in the best conditions. The match against Senegal will be very complicated, we are aware of that. We have four days left to prepare well.”

William Saliba is coming to the back and following an individualized program, Thé Hernandez is the manager.

VJ

William Saliba follows an individualized program and will not train with the group. Théo Hernandez is spared.

See you in a few minutes

The players of the French team arrived in Boston on Wednesday, where they settled in for the 2026 World Cup. And during the flight, some of them, including captain Kylian Mbappé, passed the time by playing ludo, a game similar to small horses.

>> what is ludo, this game that so amuses Mbappé, Dembélé and Cherki during the Blues’ trips?

Lucas Hernandez and Jean-Philippe Mateta will answer questions from journalists on the pitch around 8 p.m. French time.

Since their arrival in Boston in the middle of the week, the players of the French team have faced high temperatures and humidity. To adapt as best as possible to the local climate, the Blues staff have put in place several tools and instructions.

>> 2026 World Cup: 6 liters of water per day, iced towels, cold baths… How the Blues are trying to adapt to the American heat

Ousmane Dembélé spoke on the sidelines of the debut of the French team at the 2026 World Cup. The star of the French team defended Kylian Mbappé in the face of the numerous criticisms against him. “People were very unfair to him,” said the PSG striker. “They are a little exaggerated in their criticism of Kylian, because he is an incredible player. He is a great person off the field, I have known him for a long time.”

>> Dembélé defends Mbappé against criticism

Welcome to the RMC Sport website and app to follow the news from the France team at the 2026 World Cup. The Blues arrived in Boston, their base camp, this Wednesday and are continuing their preparation before their first match scheduled for Tuesday June 16 against Senegal (9 p.m. French time).