French football captain Kylian Mbappé has drawn criticism from Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) after expressing concerns about the party gaining power in next year’s presidential election. Mbappé, 27, who has Algerian and Cameroonian heritage and grew up in Paris’s northern suburbs, told Vanity Fair: “I know what it means and what consequences it can have for my country when people like them come to power.”
Jordan Bardella, the 30-year-old RN president, responded with a dig at Mbappé’s departure from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid, noting that PSG subsequently won the Champions League. “I know what happens when Kylian Mbappé leaves PSG: the club wins the Champions League! (And maybe soon a second time),” Bardella wrote on social media. Le Pen told RTL radio she found it reassuring that Mbappé did not want her party to win, as his own strategy of leaving PSG had not worked. RN MP Julien Odoul said the captain must represent all of France, including RN voters, and should not become a “political activist”.
The spat continues a longstanding feud. During France’s snap parliamentary election in 2024, Mbappé described RN gains as “catastrophic”. Bardella then accused wealthy athletes of giving “lessons to people who can no longer make ends meet”. Mbappé told Vanity Fair that even as a footballer, one is “foremost a citizen” and must fight the idea that players should stay quiet.
Mbappé is the face of a diverse national team, often seen as a symbol of integration, and is tipped to win this summer’s World Cup. Analyst William Thay of Le Millénaire told Reuters that Bardella’s response was politically shrewd, as Mbappé’s popularity has waned since his PSG exit. However, Thay warned the RN risks alienating moderates by attacking a major sporting star while appearing to deepen social divisions.
