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Kylian Mbappé is hoping his recent move to Real Madrid will take his already glittering career to new heights, but the French superstar has become embroiled in off-field difficulties in recent months.
In an ideal world, the 25-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain striker would have been able to focus fully on settling in Madrid after moving to the Spanish capital on a five-year deal during the just-concluded summer transfer window.
Instead, in addition to being hampered by fitness problems, Mbappé has been locked in a bitter financial dispute with his former club and is now cited as a suspect in a rape investigation, according to reports in Sweden.
Mbappé has dismissed those reports as “fake news” and is hoping to win his battle with PSG over what he claims amounts to €55 million (£47 million) in unpaid wages and bonuses from last season.
Nevertheless, the negative headlines have dented the player’s image, diminishing the aura surrounding a young man who has become an icon in his home country and is a global sporting superstar.
When Mbappé emerged as a teenager at Monaco almost a decade ago, he stood out not only because of his precocious talent but also due to his remarkable communication skills.
Rather than being fazed by the media spotlight, Mbappé was clearly at ease in front of the cameras, speaking with the maturity and assurance of someone considerably older.
He was a World Cup winner at 19 and went on to become the all-time top scorer at PSG, the local club of the boy from Bondy in the Paris suburbs.
Committed Captain?
In March 2023, a few months after scoring a stunning hat-trick in France’s World Cup final defeat to Lionel Messi’s Argentina, he was named captain of the national team by coach Didier Deschamps.
This seemed a natural choice, given his status in the team and in the country, but his position as skipper made the decision to rest him for France’s UEFA Nations League matches this month controversial.
Mbappé picked up a thigh injury in late September, a minor issue, but one that suggested giving him a break would be beneficial in the long run.
“We need to put the player’s interests first, without putting him in difficulty,” Deschamps said of the decision, referring to Mbappé’s relationship with his new club.
However, as France’s sporting press debated whether Mbappé’s temporary absence from the squad was justified or a sign of a lack of commitment to the national cause, the player himself travelled to Stockholm for a short break with members of his entourage.
Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen, along with public broadcaster SVT, have since reported that he is under investigation for rape, following an alleged incident at a hotel on 10 October.
A Swedish prosecutor confirmed on Tuesday that a rape investigation had been opened but did not mention Mbappé by name.
Changing Attitudes
Meanwhile, Mbappé, whose career is managed by his mother Fayza Lamari, has taken his financial dispute with PSG to a French league committee.
He is trying to recover €55 million, comprising several months of unpaid wages and a signing-on fee, money PSG claims he agreed to forgo if he left on a free transfer at the end of last season.
Mbappé even hinted on Monday that there might be a link between the rape report and his wrangle with his former club, where he spent seven years.
“It’s becoming so predictable, on the eve of the hearing, as if by chance,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
His acrimonious split from PSG, which saw him left out of the team on several occasions in the second half of last season after he announced his intention to leave, surely contributed to a disappointing European Championship with France.
Mbappé suffered a broken nose in France’s opening game at Euro 2024 in June and only scored once—a penalty in a group-stage draw with Poland—before Les Bleus lost in the semi-finals.
He appeared some way short of peak physical form and is taking his time to settle in Madrid, even though he has seven goals in his first 11 appearances.
A recent incident seemed to encapsulate the shift in public perception of Mbappé in his home country: he was loudly booed by Lille supporters when introduced as a substitute for Real Madrid in a Champions League game earlier this month.
Such a reception for an opposing player may not be unusual, but it contrasted sharply with the acclaim he received across France in the aftermath of the last World Cup.
AFP
