French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to exert "maximum pressure" on Real Madrid to release Kylian Mbappe at the 2024 Olympics this summer.
Mbappe's time at PSG is coming to an end as his contract expires next month. While there has been no official announcement about his next club, the entire football world would have been shocked if it were anyone outside of Madrid.
But the striker faces an early problem, as his ambition to represent France at the Olympics on home soil has clashed with Madrid's refusal to allow players to play so far. "I hope [Mbappe can play in the Olympics]. In any case, I put the most pressure on his 'club of the future'," Macron commented during an appearance this week.
"It's always the same, one game at a time. First of all, we have Euro 2024 and they have to win on July 14," he added, adding that the date of the final is Bastille Day. France's Olympic competition begins just ten days after the European Championships in Germany, and if France go further in the continental championships, Mbappe has little precious time to turn around. Heading to the Olympics, which will last until 9 August, he will also miss his first pre-season at his new club and have no real break for the 2024/25 season.
Madrid has made clear their stance on the Olympics, which has affected Aurelian Chuamini and Eduardo Camavinga, who must also be selected as one of the allowed overage players for the under-23 tournament. Mbappe is not yet a Madrid player and he recently revealed that he has not been explicitly told that he will not.
"I've always wanted to go to the Olympics and my desire hasn't changed," he said. "If I go to the Olympics, it will be a dream, but if I am not allowed to participate, then I will do what I am told. The decision is still up to one person, and they haven't told me if it's or not. ”
Speaking on his last international appearance in March, Aurelien Tchouameni said: "From the moment Real Madrid decided to veto, I don't think we had much to say. In addition, everyone knows that it is not necessarily good to disagree with your employer in your daily life. The truth is, we wanted to. It's impossible, but we'll be the first (to support France). ”
As this is not part of FIFA's official international schedule, teams will not automatically release players as they do when they participate in the World Cup or Continental European Championships. This means that approval is at the discretion of each club.
He had a similar problem in 2008 when Barcelona initially blocked Lionel Messi from competing for Argentina. But the future Ballon d'Or, who was already a key player in the first team at the time, had manager Pep Guardiola defend him personally, benefiting from the unique experience of winning Olympic gold 16 years ago in 1992.
Since the 1992 Olympic Games men's football adopted its current all-professional under-23 format, other stars who have won gold medals include Neymar, Samuel Eto'o, Sergio Aguero, Javier Mascherano, Luis Enrique and Marquinhos.