French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday he remained hopeful national team captain Kylian Mbappe would be able to play for his country at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
“I hope he will be able to play at the Olympic Games,” Macron said when asked by pupils during a visit to a school in the French capital.
Mbappe has previously made clear his desire to represent France at the Games, but that possibility dissipated when Real Madrid recently warned it would not release any of its players to take part in the Olympics.
The 25-year-old World Cup-winning forward is currently at Paris Saint-Germain but has told the Ligue 1 side he intends to leave when his contract expires at the end of this season, with Madrid his expected next destination.
The Olympic football tournament -- which is for Under-23 players with three overage players allowed per squad -- does not fall during FIFA dates for international matches, which means clubs have no obligation to release the players for the competition.
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Mbappe will lead France at Euro 2024 which runs from June 14 to July 14 in Germany.
The Olympic football competition begins on July 24 and runs to August 9, with France in a group alongside the United States, New Zealand and another side still to be determined.
Macron also stated that he would go to Germany for the semifinals and final of Euro 2024 should Les Bleus get there.
“I will go if we are in the semifinals or in the final,” he said, pointing out that the final in Berlin falls on France’s national day, July 14.
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