French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his hope on Saturday that Kylian Mbappe, the star footballer, would be given the opportunity by his presumed future club Real Madrid to participate in the Paris Olympics representing France.

Macron Calls on Real Madrid to Allow Mbappe to Join Paris Olympics

In a video shared on X, formerly Twitter, Macron conveyed, “I’m counting on Real Madrid to free up Kylian for the Olympic Games so he can come play with the French team.”

Mbappe himself confirmed on Friday his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, the French champions, at the end of the current season, with Real Madrid widely speculated to be his next destination.

“I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks,” said Mbappe in a video posted on social media.

Real Madrid has already made it clear that it won’t release its players from their club obligations to participate in the Olympic Games, which are not recognized as part of the FIFA-designated international tournaments for which clubs are obliged to release their players.

The 25-year-old forward, who won the World Cup and captains the French national team, indicated last week that he wasn’t giving much thought to the Games.

Mbappe is set to lead France at Euro 2024, scheduled from June 14 to July 14 in Germany.

The Olympic football competition kicks off on July 24 and concludes on August 9. France finds itself in a group alongside the United States, New Zealand, and another yet-to-be-determined team.

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