The controversy over Kylian Mbappé’s absence from the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony isn’t over. Le Canard Enchaîné has reignited the debate, revealing new behind-the-scenes details, including a secret plan involving Zinedine Zidane.
According to the satirical weekly, the Real Madrid forward turned down multiple invitations to carry the Olympic flame, despite insistence from the Paris 2024 organizing committee. The main reason? He wasn’t chosen to be the final torchbearer — that honor went to French Olympic legends Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec.
Mbappé publicly laughed off the rumors on X (formerly Twitter), joking he was simply on vacation and had “no real connection with the Olympics.”
Mbappé said no to Zidane… and even to hometown Bondy
But Le Canard Enchaîné isn’t backing down. The newspaper claims that a secret scenario had been designed for Mbappé to pass the torch to Zidane in front of the Eiffel Tower. Another idea involved carrying the flame through his hometown of Bondy. Both were apparently rejected by the French star.
He even reportedly declined a role as the “masked man” — a symbolic torchbearer whose identity would be revealed at the end.
Behind this refusal, the paper suggests, lies deeper tension between Mbappé and the organizing committee — a conflict involving prestige, image rights, and symbolism. It’s a surprising stance from a player often seen as a national leader.
To be continued…
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