Kylian Mbappe wants to play at Paris 2024 Olympics: "It's a child's dream"
The French football star who recently signed a new contract with PSG has reaffirmed his desire to play at the Olympic Games. "It's a child's dream," he said.
Kylian Mbappe’s dream of playing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is one step closer to becoming a reality after he revealed he has spoken to club side Paris Saint-Germain about it.
“Yes, of course,” he said when asked whether he wanted to represent France at the Games during an interview Monday (23 May) evening on the TF1 prime time show. “We talked about that in the contract discussions. This is a real opportunity, it will be 100 years after Paris 1924 and it’s one of sport’s biggest events.”
Mbappe has previously expressed his love of the Olympic Games, and his desire to play at a home Games.
"It was when I watched the Olympic Games London 2012 that I realised the importance of this worldwide event. The Games are "THE" reference in sport, the absolute Holy Grail that every athlete wants to compete in and experience at least once in their lifetime," he said in an October 2021 interview with L'Equipe. “It’s an inner feeling as if it is my destiny to participate in this huge celebration in my city, in my country - 100 years after the last competition in France.”
The 23-year-old, who has just renewed his contract with PSG until 2025, spoke passionately about his desire to play in the next Olympic Games in Paris earlier this week.
“Sport is about feelings and emotions. The opportunity to play in a competition like this at home in front of family, friends and with the entire world watching you is something you can’t ignore," he said on TF1. "It’s a child’s dream and I have always said I want to participate in it. I hope I’ll have the chance to.”
Earlier in the day, Mbappe had been asked about Paris 2024 and told AFP that PSG were “not against it, but for it.” This season’s top scorer in the French league has already won two titles with the French national team, including the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and the UEFA Nations League in 2021.
Mbappe aiming to compete on the 40th anniversary of France’s gold medal
Lionel Messi and Neymar, his two teammates who are also part of PSG’s offensive trio, have already experienced the Games and both won gold medals. Messi was victorious at Beijing 2008 and Neymar at Rio 2016.
Mbappe, who was born in Paris, just a few kilometers away from the Stade de France - the Paris 2024 Olympic stadium - had already expressed his desire to play at Tokyo 2020. France qualified for the tournament for the first time since Atlanta 1996 but were eliminated in the group stage. France’s best-ever result at the Olympics was the gold they won at Los Angeles 1984 after beating Brazil 2-0 in the final.
Paris 2024 will mark the 40th anniversary of that French Olympic gold.
In order to compete at Paris 2024, Mbappe, who will be 25 when the competition begins on 24 July 2024, will need to be chosen as one of the three over-23 players allowed in each team.
READ MORE: The competition schedule for Olympic Games Paris 2024 has been released