Mbappé admits he is "already hated enough" and does not rule out coaching career

Kylian Mbappé has publicly acknowledged the rift that has widened between him and part of the French public, while sketching out what his life after football could look like. In an interview with Le Parisien conducted by Didier Deschamps, the Real Madrid striker ruled out any political ambitions with self-deprecating humor: “I’m already hated enough as it is.”

This quip comes in an ambiguous context. A recent BFMTV/RMC poll still names him as the favourite player of the French — a title he now shares with Ousmane Dembélé, whose popularity surged after PSG’s two Ligue des Champions titles. But Mbappé himself seems to have fully internalized the polarization his image provokes.

Asked about his post-career plans, he dismissed the hypothesis of entering politics — notably the French presidency — with a laugh: “A lot of people tell me that, but it’s not in my plans.” He instead evokes a gradual withdrawal towards anonymity and increased investment in his foundation, without closing the door on a business career.

The coaching option, however, is taken seriously. Mbappé says he wants to earn his coaching badges — “it costs nothing, it’s additional learning” — but sets a firm condition: first coming to terms with the end of his playing career. “A coach can no longer think like a player, no matter how great he was,” he explains. “I’ve seen plenty of great players be average coaches, not because they didn’t know football, but because they didn’t have the right approach.”

A rare lucidity from a 26-year-old still at the peak of his career, which contrasts with the image of absolute certainty that public opinion sometimes attributes to him.