Florian Thauvin Called Up to Replace Injured Bradley Barcola Amid PSG-FFF Medical Dispute
PSG disputes French national team's diagnosis of Bradley Barcola's injury as chronic, leading to his withdrawal from World Cup qualifiers and prompting Florian Thauvin's return after six years.
- • Barcola diagnosed with chronic right hamstring injury by French team physician, but PSG contests this assessment.
- • Barcola to miss World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Iceland, returning to PSG for treatment.
- • Florian Thauvin recalled to French national team after six years as Barcola's replacement.
- • PSG also confirms Senny Mayulu unavailable for France U21 due to injury.
Key details
On October 6, 2025, a dispute arose between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and the French Football Federation (FFF) concerning the injury status of Bradley Barcola. Barcola, sidelined with a chronic right hamstring injury diagnosed by the French national team’s medical staff, will miss France's upcoming World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Iceland. PSC strongly contested the medical assessment, clarifying that their own medical reports submitted to the national team did not indicate any chronic injury. PSG emphasized that the injury diagnosis announced by FFF following consultations with team physician Franck Le Gall was at odds with their evaluations, underscoring the need to maintain medical confidentiality. Barcola, who had earlier missed a match against Marseille due to muscle fatigue but played an hour against Lille without visible issues, will now return to PSG for treatment.
In response to Barcola's withdrawal, coach Didier Deschamps called up Florian Thauvin to the French national team for the first time in six years. Thauvin, 32, currently playing for RC Lens, has 10 caps for France, with his last appearance in June 2019, a match in which he scored his only international goal through an impressive overhead kick assisted by Kylian Mbappé. This season, Thauvin has netted two goals in seven Ligue 1 games and is seeking to secure his 11th cap during the critical qualifiers scheduled for October 10 and 13. His return brings experience and familiarity to the squad as France prepares for the World Cup qualifiers.
Additionally, PSG confirmed that young midfielder Senny Mayulu will miss the France U21 team selection due to a left thigh injury. The situation highlights ongoing challenges in player fitness ahead of international fixtures.
This medical disagreement spotlights the tensions between club and national team assessments and raises concerns over player availability and injury management in key qualifying matches. With Barcola returning to PSG's care and Thauvin stepping into the national setup after a significant gap, French football navigates a complex phase in squad preparation.