Paris Saint-Germain forward and Real Madrid target Kylian Mbappe might be the most marketable footballer in the world after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but he is the only one attending royal receptions in the French Government. On Tuesday night the Emir of Qatar had dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and Mbappe was one of the guests.
Arriving at the palace, Macron greeted Mbappe, with RMC (via Diario AS) capturing his words. ‘You’re going to create problems for us’, he told the PSG forward, but with a smile on his face and a joke in his tone. Mbappe was mixing it with many of the big wigs in French-Qatari business, including the Head of the LFP Vincent Labrune.
Macron gave a speech, calling the Qatar World Cup final the best yet. The Emir and Qatar are set to invest €10b in French infrastructure in the coming years.
“There are also so many beautiful memories, in less serious but as vibrant moments as this 2022 World Cup. Kylian Mbappe’s extraordinary game, the memory of Kolo Muani’s saved shot, which still remains bitter in French hearts. But that’s the thing with the king of sports. They have had a fantastic tournament, with what I think was the most spectacular final in history. France was there with its fans, its security forces, its companies like RATP and its footballers,”
Macron’s involvement with Mbappe came under heavy scrutiny in 2022, when he reportedly spoke with Mbappe about his future before signing a renewal with PSG, turning down Real Madrid in the process. Clearly a matter of state, Macron was keen to have Mbappe continue in the French capital. This time round, he made no effort to sway the French forward though, who has already decided to join Los Blancos.
Macrons France is plagued by (un)democracy, riots, protests against his regime, idiotic decisions without referendums (a true measure of how democratic a society) but Mpappe somehow creates them problems.
Society is*