Kylian Mbappé has placed himself at the heart of France’s political crisis with a call to prevent extremists from taking power in the snap parliamentary election triggered by President Macron.
The superstar footballer’s words represented a rare positive note in an otherwise bleak campaign for Macron’s centrist camp, which is staring at defeat, according to opinion polls. However, they infuriated supporters of the populist right National Rally, one of whom described the forward, who has just signed for Real Madrid, as a “billionaire buffoon”.
Mbappé made his intervention at a press conference before France play Austria on Monday evening, threatening to overshadow the team’s first match at Euro 2024. Dozens of other renowned, mostly retired, sports men and women including Marion Bartoli, the Wimbledon-winning tennis