Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe runs with ball during a Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
PARIS (AP) — Kylian Mbappé didn’t fully enjoy the flurry of AI memes depicting him as a dictator on social media during the World Cup.
The France star was portrayed in military outfits, sitting on a throne, or posing next to Soviet leader Josef Stalin and other controversial leaders.
Asked by France Football magazine how he felt about the memes, Mbappé acknowledged the humor, but said he didn’t like being compared to figures associated with tragedies.
“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.”
