PARIS — French football captain Kylian Mbappé criticized the National Rally's electoral gains in France's 2024 snap parliamentary election in an interview published by Vanity Fair, drawing rebukes from senior figures in the party. Mbappé said the gains were catastrophic and said he knows what it means and what consequences it can have for his country when people like the National Rally come to power.

"Even as a footballer, you're foremost a citizen. We're not disconnected from the world … or from what's happening in our country. People sometimes think that because we have money, because we're famous, these kinds of problems don't affect us," Mbappé told Vanity Fair. He added that footballers have their say like everyone else.

National Rally President Jordan Bardella responded on social media, writing that when Mbappé leaves Paris Saint-Germain the club wins the Champions League, and that it might win a second time soon. Bardella also said it was embarrassing to see deep-pocketed athletes give lessons to people who can no longer make ends meet and who no longer feel safe.

France's 1998 World Cup-winning team starring Zinedine Zidane was presented by politicians as a symbol of French unity under the label "Black-Blanc-Beur." Mbappé is seen as the face of a French national team often celebrated as a symbol of diversity.

William Thay, an analyst at the thinktank Le Millénaire, said Bardella's response was politically shrewd because Mbappé's popularity had weakened since leaving Paris Saint-Germain due to perceived arrogance and underwhelming results at Real Madrid. Thay also said the National Rally risked undermining its electoral strategy by attacking a major sporting star while doing little to address moderate voters who fear the party seeks to deepen social divisions.