Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mention of French football superstar Kylian Mbappe in his address to the Indian diaspora in Paris left Twitter buzzing on Friday.
Modi stated that Mbappe, who won the FIFA World Cup with the French national team in 2018 in Russia, is a "superhit" in the South Asian country and more popular in India than in his home nation France.
"French football player Kylian Mbappe is a superhit in India. More people across India probably know Mbappe than those in France," Modi said while interacting with members of the Indian community in a Paris suburb.
Modi's remarks about the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar quickly went viral on various social media platforms, with netizens coming up with hilarious reactions.
One Twitter user claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron would offer a Rafale warplane for free to New Delhi, if Modi convinced Mbappe to stay in Paris.
While another argued that the Indian Prime Minister was trying to convince the 24-year-old forward to join India's domestic football league - the Indian Super League (ISL) as Mbappe has reportedly told the club that he would not extend his stay at the Parc des Princes beyond June 2024 when his contract with the club expires.
For months, Mbappe has kept PSG at tenterhooks, with the prodigious player reportedly showing no interest whatsoever in signing a new agreement over prolonging his association with the Ligue 1 winners.
One Twitter user claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron would offer a Rafale warplane for free to New Delhi, if Modi convinced Mbappe to stay in Paris.
While another argued that the Indian Prime Minister was trying to convince the 24-year-old forward to join India's domestic football league - the Indian Super League (ISL) as Mbappe has reportedly told the club that he would not extend his stay at the Parc des Princes beyond June 2024 when his contract with the club expires.
For months, Mbappe has kept PSG at tenterhooks, with the prodigious player reportedly showing no interest whatsoever in signing a new agreement over prolonging his association with the Ligue 1 winners.
With Lionel Messi already moving away from the Parisian side earlier this summer, opting to move to the United States instead, the French star's departure could deliver a double blow to PSG's efforts to build a world-class team.
But fans would have to wait for a few months for things to get clear as only time could tell Mbappe's next destination.
But fans would have to wait for a few months for things to get clear as only time could tell Mbappe's next destination.