Mbappe has been released from the France squad due to an ankle strain, meaning he will miss their World Cup qualifying dead rubber against Azerbaijan.
Rothen said in reaction: "Mbappé is the captain, he receives special treatment, fine. But there are other players who play the same number of matches throughout the year. Do you think they aren't tired and wouldn't prefer to skip a meaningless game? They go because they have to."
He added: “Does he receive special treatment? When you qualify, everything is fine, but when things get complicated… Making decisions like this can create problems in the locker room, and I remain convinced that there are players fed up with this preferential treatment.”
Rothen warned that these privileges can destroy a locker room when times get tough: “While you’re winning, nobody says anything. But when things start to go wrong, decisions like this take their toll. I still think there are players fed up with all this.”