Mbappé hits back at AI dictator memes, calling them a 'lack of political awareness'

Kylian Mbappé has pushed back against a wave of AI-generated social media memes that portray him as a dictator, telling France Football magazine the images reflect a “lack of political and human awareness” — even as he acknowledged some of the humour behind them.

The France striker was depicted in military uniform, seated on a throne, or placed alongside Soviet leader Josef Stalin and other controversial historical figures during the World Cup. While Mbappé conceded the light-hearted intent, he drew a clear line at comparisons with figures responsible for mass suffering.

“There’s a part of it that’s funny because you can tell that, for some people, it’s good-natured,” he said. “There’s also a part that’s a little less funny because we know the damage that people like that have caused throughout history. Being compared to people who murder others, or who have made millions and millions of people miserable — I don’t think I’ve done that in my life. So there’s a mixture of things.”

Mbappé, who surpassed Lionel Messi’s record to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals, added that the memes ultimately expose something more troubling than bad taste. “I know it’s done in a light-hearted way and that it doesn’t go that far, but sometimes it shows a lack of political and human awareness among people.”

When reminded that France teammate Ousmane Dembélé gave him the nickname “Mobut” — a nod to former Congolese autocrat Mobutu Sese Seko — Mbappé was more forgiving. “With Ousmane, it’s something different. He picked it up from social media. With him, it’s just a joke.”

Separately, it emerged this week that Manchester United passed on signing Mbappé in 2015 after scouts watched him play for Monaco against PSG and came away unconvinced. Former United assistant Ryan Giggs recalled the episode on a podcast, saying a French contact had flagged the teenager but that the club’s scouting team returned unimpressed and the matter was simply dropped.

Mbappé went on to win the Ligue 1 title with Monaco in 2017, joined Paris Saint-Germain for the second-highest transfer fee in history, and helped France lift the 2018 World Cup. He moved to Real Madrid in 2024.