Mbappe's far-right feud steps up after Real Madrid star speaks out

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Martin Macdonald | Writer

Content writer covering football, formula 1 and movies

Kylian Mbappe has been mocked by French far-right politician Marine Le Pen for failing to win the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid.

After bursting onto the scene with Monaco as a teenager, Mbappe moved to PSG initially on loan before becoming the second-most expensive footballer in history, transferring to the French capital for €145 million.

He would go on to become PSG's highest scorer of all time but European glory evaded him during his time at the club, while he eventually left under a cloud to sign for Real Madrid on a free transfer.

PSG would go on to win the Champions League the season that Mbappe left and they have reached the final again in 2026.

He recently sat down for an interview with Vanity Fair and spoke about how important it was for France not to allow power to fall into the hands of the far-right National Rally party in France.

“You can be a player, you can be an international star, but above all that, you are a citizen,” Mbappe said.

“We are not disconnected from the world. We are not disconnected from what happens in our country. People sometimes think that because you have money, because you’re famous, that kind of problem doesn’t affect you. But it affects me, because I know what it means, and what kind of consequences it can have for my country when those kinds of people take control. So we are citizens. We have the right to give our opinion like anyone else.”

Before France's first match at Euro 2024, various players from the squad, including Mbappe and Marcus Thuram, spoke out against the rise of the National Rally, saying it was “catastrophic” and warned, “The extremes are knocking at the doors of power.”

Jordan Bardella, the young leader of the National Rally, had said: “When you have the luck to have a huge salary, be a multimillionaire, the chance to travel in a private jet. I am a little annoyed to see these sports figures giving lessons to people who…struggle to make ends meet.”

More recently, he poked fun at Mbappe's lack of Champions League success, saying: "And I know what happens when Kylian Mbappe leaves PSG: the club wins the Champions League! (And maybe soon a second time.)"

Marine Le Pen then took a shot at the player on Wednesday.

"When he says that we are not going to win the elections, it reassures me because he left PSG for Real Madrid saying that it was to win the Champions League," she told RTL.

"In the meantime, PSG has won. He can take a stand. People who love football are still quite free to know who they want to vote for without being influenced by Mr Mbappe."

She was backed up by other National Rally members like Julien Odoul, who said: "He has a responsibility since he must be representative of the millions of French people. There is a problem with the captain of the French team becoming a political activist who expresses himself and uses his tribune to give his political opinion.

"He has the right, like any citizen, to have opinions and preferences. But as a captain, there is still a minimum of reserve to have."

On the pitch, Mbappe has become increasingly isolated at Real Madrid and is no longer a favourite of the Santiago Bernabeu faithful.

Various reports from Europe, including outlets like Marca and L'Equipe, have reported that he is seen as "individualistic" by his team-mates in the dressing room at Madrid.

Real Madrid fans have created a petition to have him sold, while a website has been created counting down the seconds unil his contract expires.