French Embassy confirms all 26 France squad players are French citizens, with 23 born in France, responding to Mariano Rajoy's claim.
The French Embassy in Spain has responded to Mariano Rajoy's controversial claim that the national team has no French players. The embassy issued a factual statement confirming all 26 players are French citizens, with 23 born in France.
The French Embassy in Spain has issued a firm response to former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy following his controversial remarks about the French national team ahead of the World Cup semifinal. Rajoy, who served as prime minister from 2011 to 2018, wrote in a column for Spanish newspaper El Debate that France possesses a "top-level squad" but noted they do not have "any French players".
The French Embassy responded with a statement on social media, saying: "Without wanting to start a debate, it is worth remembering the facts: All the players in the French national team are French". The embassy then provided specific figures to support their rebuttal, stating that of the 26 players in Didier Deschamps' squad, 23 were born in France, while the three who were born abroad are also French citizens.
The controversy has drawn widespread condemnation from both French and Spanish political figures. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the remarks "stupidity, racism or a combination of the two," while French Football Federation President Philippe Diallo wrote on X that the comments "carry intolerable whiffs of racism". Spain's current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also condemned the remarks without naming his predecessor, writing that "there are those who still measure belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin colour".
The diplomatic exchange came just days before Spain and France met in the World Cup semifinal in Dallas. Spain ultimately won the match 2-0 to reach the final, but the pre-match controversy continued to generate debate about nationality and identity in international football. Rajoy later responded with a new column, sarcastically thanking authorities for the "attention" paid to his earlier comments but did not apologize for his initial remarks. The match and its preceding controversy highlighted the diverse backgrounds of players in both national teams, with the French squad reflecting the multicultural nature of the country.
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