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Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé revealed on Sunday that he doesn’t expect to represent France in the Paris Olympics this summer.
“For the Olympics, my club has a position that is very clear,” he told reporters at the Euros, with France’s first game of the tournament on Monday against Austria. “I think that I will not take part in the Games.”
That will be disappointing for soccer fans in general, as Mbappé is one of the brightest stars in the sport. But the native Frenchman not representing his country in the Olympics it’s hosting may sting a touch more for the French fans, especially in the same summer he departed Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid.
Granted, Mbappé is captaining his country at the Euros, arguably the second-biggest international tournament for European countries outside of the World Cup. In that regard, the Olympics ranks a distant third, so if Mbappé was forced to choose between the two competitions in an effort not to be overrun this summer, he made the understandable call.
France’s Olympic tournament will kick off just 10 days after the Euros final, on July 24 against the United States. The gold-medal game for that tournament will be on Aug. 9, while La Liga’s season will commence on Aug. 18.
Real Madrid also have friendlies on July 31 against AC Milan, Aug. 3 against Barcelona and Aug. 6 against Chelsea in the United States as part of its preseason tour. Having Mbappé would obviously make those games an even bigger draw.
And then there’s the Super Cup against Atalanta on Aug. 14.
While clubs don’t get a say whether their players participate in the World Cup, European Championship or Copa América, they can keep players out of the Olympics. It isn’t hard to see why Real Madrid would prefer to keep Mbappé out of the Paris Games.