The Euro 2024 tournament began explosively for Kylian Mbappé – the France striker and one of the best and highest-paid footballers in the world – but not necessarily the way he wanted. His week kicked off controversially last Sunday when, responding to a question about the political situation in France at a pre-match press conference, he said the public should avoid voting for “extremes” in the coming French elections.
“I want to be proud to represent France,” he said. “I don’t want to represent a country that doesn’t correspond to my values, or our values. People say don’t mix football and politics but here we are talking about a situation that’s really important, more important than the game. The situation in our country is dire and we need to act.”
