Just as when he is in front of goal, Kylian Mbappé doesn’t want to miss an opportunity. That also applies to the chance to compete in an Olympic Games on home soil.
Paris 2024 is now less than 200 days away and the French football star has once again spoken about his desire to take part in the Games in an interview with Envoyé spécial on French TV station France 2. The Olympics hold a special place in the footballer’s heart and it has become clear that he really wants to experience them as an athlete.
“I’ve always had the ‘Olympic flame’,” he said. “Along with the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games are the biggest sports event in the world. The Games in Paris, 100 years after [the last time they were held in the city]… mean the world to me. The idea of competing at the Games with France would be an extraordinary opportunity. It’s actually more of a dream than an opportunity.”
This is not the first time the Golden Boot winner at the last World Cup has spoken glowingly about the Olympic Games.
In an interview with L’Équipe, 1,000 days before the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, Mbappé spoke about how London 2012 changed his views about the Olympics and how he now sees them as the “Holy Grail” for all athletes, including himself.
IOC President Thomas Bach replied directly to Mbappé in an interview with Olympics.com.
“We have heard Kylian Mbappé say that the Olympic Games are the Holy Grail of sports. That says everything,” responded Bach.
Even for someone as gifted as Mbappé, there are challenges to overcome if he wants to compete at the next Games. Firstly, he would need to be included in Thierry Henry‘s final squad, where only three players born before 1 January 2001 are eligible to compete. He would also need to be given the green light by his club, and to be at the right fitness levels after the Euros that end less than two weeks before the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024.
But all of those factors haven’t stopped France’s senior national team captain dreaming about the Games, starting with the evening of 26 July.
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