Why Was Kylian Mbappe Invited for Dinner with France President Emmanuel Macron?

Kylian Mbappe has undoubtedly already risen to the top echelons of world football currently. And his influence continues to transcend boundaries, as the mercurial Frenchman was invited to dine alongside France president Emmanuel Macron, alongside PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

The update follows after news of Mbappe’s potential bombshell move to Real Madrid, which was all but announced when the striker declared that he would be running his contract out with the French champions and leave the club in the summer.

But now as per reports from Le Parisien, President Macron invited Mbappe to Paris’ Elysee Palace alongside club chief Al-Khelaifi and a few other PSG teammates. But the nature of the visit is nothing to do with football, especially since Macron has been open in the past in wanting to keep Mbappe at the Paris club, stating that he would “try and push” for the Frenchman to sign a new contract.

But, Mbappe’s invitation rather owes to the presence of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Sheikh Tamim has reportedly arrived at the French capital help broker negotiations regarding the ceasefire and release of hostages in the Israel-Hamas conflict, since Qatar is a mediating country between Palestine and Israel. Mbappe is not expected to be present for such talks, but has been invited nonetheless as a notable sporting personality of the country.

The Parisian striker will share the table with two heads of state for the second time, as the newspaper recalls, referring to a dinner between Emmanuel Macron, George Weah, then elected president of Liberia in 2018, and Kylian Mbappé.

The Mbappe transfer saga has been one that has dominated headlines all over, with Real Madrid seemingly being the one club that will entice the Frenchman the most.

“Knowing that he is leaving PSG, there is a 99 percent chance that Mbappe will sign for Real. But I don’t know if he has already signed,” La Liga president Javier Tebas has been quoted as saying according to L’Equipe.

In fact, Real have also reportedly gone out of their way to garner favour with the World-Cup winner, with other reports stating that Mbappe will inherit the cherished number 10 jersey upon joining their ranks.

“It’s big news for Real and for Spanish football. He is one of the best players in the world. From my point of view, (Jude) Bellingham, (Erling) Haaland and Mbappe are the three dominant players on the planet, and two are already at Real Madrid,” said Tebas.