Mbappe speaks out against meme linking him to dictator

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has slammed a viral meme on social media. The meme shows his face on the body of a dictator. He said this reflects a “lack of political and human awareness.”

The 27-year-old France international acknowledged that some people might find the AI-generated meme funny. But he believes it is wrong to compare him to dictators who caused a lot of suffering.

Mbappe spoke in an interview with France Football on Friday. He understands why some fans shared the meme in a light-hearted way. They see it as a joke because of his success on the pitch and his influence at Real Madrid.

“There’s a funny side to it because you can sense that, for some people, it’s good-natured,” Mbappe said.

But he added there is also “a side that’s a bit less funny.” He highlighted the serious harm caused by the people he was compared with.

“Being compared to people who murder others, or who have made millions upon millions of people miserable… I don’t think I’ve done that in my life,” he said.

Mbappe pointed out that while he knows the meme was not meant to offend, it shows a lack of understanding of the serious issues tied to such figures.

Nickname Discussion

The Real Madrid star also talked about the nickname “Mobut.” His France teammate Ousmane Dembele used this name for him during the 2026 World Cup.

This nickname refers to Mobutu Sese Seko, a former dictator in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then called Zaire. Mobutu ruled for thirty years.

Mbappe made it clear that Dembele’s nickname is different from the meme. He said his teammate was just joking after seeing it on social media.

“Ousmane, that’s a different thing. He took that from social media. He’s just having a laugh,” Mbappe said.