Kylian Mbappé’s voice also carries over to the social arena. In any case, that is how Arsène Wenger feels. Two weeks earlier, the French team striker had spoken about the upcoming legislative elections and the political context in France. “The extremes are on the verge of power. I call on all young people to go and vote. We need to identify with our values of diversity, tolerance and respect. You might think that one vote doesn’t change anything, but it does,” the future Real Madrid striker had said at a press conference.
And this position should not be underestimated, according to Wenger, questioned on the evolution of the place occupied by footballers in society today by the newspaper The world. “A player like Kylian Mbappé has real power in society, which Michel Platini did not have at the time,” assured the Alsatian, former Arsenal coach. The opinion of the players, who are increasingly speaking out, is important. Social networks have contributed to this. When you see that Cristiano Ronaldo has more than 600 million subscribers on Instagram, this inevitably gives him power.”
Attached to “freedom of opinion”, Wenger affirms that he would not have been bothered to see a player engage on current issues. “But we must ask ourselves to what extent sport can find itself linked to politics. It is a delicate subject, which sport has not yet resolved, he specified to the daily. Having a political opinion implies consequences that we do not necessarily control and tensions in club, in selection or even sometimes during competitions.”
Beyond Mbappé, other players have taken up the subject, like Ibrahima Konaté, this Saturday at a press conference: “We must stop prejudices and stereotypes. »
