Even before his injury-curtailed role in France’s opening 1-0 win over Austria at Euro 2024, Kylian Mbappé had hit the headlines for speaking out about the forthcoming French elections, reports the BBC.
“Extremes are at the gates of power,” the France captain warned during his pre-match press conference, adding: “I don’t want to represent a country that doesn’t correspond to my values or our values.”
French president Emmanuel Macron called a snap parliamentary election after Marine le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) claimed victory in France’s European elections earlier this month.
There will be a first round of voting on 30 June, with a second round to follow on 7 July.
Mbappé’s comments have prompted lively debate in France about the extent to which professional footballers should get involved in politics.
He is not alone in the France squad in having broached the subject in recent days. Ousmane Dembélé, Olivier Giroud and Benjamin Pavard had all encouraged their compatriots to vote in the elections, before Marcus Thuram went a step further by explicitly urging the people of France to prevent RN from gaining power.