{"id":14279,"date":"2026-05-13T12:26:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T12:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/14279\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T12:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T12:26:19","slug":"mbappe-and-bardella-trade-barbs-over-far-rights-gains-in-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/14279\/","title":{"rendered":"Mbappe and Bardella Trade Barbs Over Far Right’s Gains in France"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Gabriel Stargardter and Elizabeth Pineau<\/p>\n

PARIS, May 13 (Reuters) – A public quarrel \u2060between \u2060two of France’s most famous young \u2060men – one a soccer player, the other a darling of the far right – over a \u200bpossible National Rally (RN) victory in next year’s presidential election has reignited in public.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their disagreements are a microcosm of a broader struggle over \u200cFrance’s identity and future ahead of \u200cnext year’s election, with an anti-immigration nationalist RN candidate favourite.<\/p>\n

Just three years separate Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe, 27, and RN \u2060party chairman \u2060Jordan Bardella, 30 – but politically they are poles apart.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mbappe, who comes from a working-class \u200bsuburb of Paris that is home to many immigrant families, is the face of a national team often celebrated as a symbol of diversity and which many tip to win this summer’s World Cup.<\/p>\n

Bardella represents the future of a once-taboo far-right party that has notched major \u200bgains with its pledges to enforce border controls and restructure welfare to prioritise French citizens.<\/p>\n

In a Vanity Fair \u2060interview published \u2060on Tuesday, Mbappe voiced concern \u2060about the consequences of \u200ban RN win in 2027.<\/p>\n

“People sometimes think that because we have money, because we’re famous, these kinds of \u200bproblems don’t affect us,” Mbappe was \u2060quoted as saying. “But they affect me; I know what it means and what consequences it can have for my country when people like them come to power.”<\/p>\n

Bardella jumped on the comments by the former Paris St Germain player, who left the French club in 2024 in pursuit of greater glory in Spain – only to see PSG lift the Champions League in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I know \u2060what happens when Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 leaves PSG: the club wins the Champions League! (And maybe soon a second \u2060time),” Bardella shot back on X.<\/p>\n

NOT THE FIRST MBAPPE-BARDELLA ROW<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Mbappe, who also called RN gains “catastrophic” during the 2024 Euros, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

William Thay, from think tank Le Mill\u00e9naire, said Bardella’s riposte was politically shrewd as Mbappe’s popularity has weakened in France due to his PSG exit, perceived arrogance and underwhelming results at Real Madrid.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Thay said the RN risks undermining its “normalisation” strategy by attacking one of France’s biggest sporting stars, while doing little to assuage moderates who fear the party only seeks to deepen social divisions.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Bardella had also traded barbs with Mbappe, saying it was embarrassing to see \u2060deep-pocketed athletes “give lessons to people who can no longer make ends meet, who no longer feel safe.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bardella will likely be the RN’s presidential candidate if his mentor Marine Le Pen’s political ban is upheld by an appeals court this summer. At least one poll has suggested he could win.\u00a0<\/p>\n

France’s far-right has benefited from a \u200bcost-of-living crisis, rising anti-immigration sentiment and general resentment towards the political elite.<\/p>\n

(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter \u200band Elizabeth Pineau; editing by Richard Lough and Andrew Cawthorne)<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.<\/p>\n

Photos You Should See \u2013 April 2026<\/p>\n

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