Prominent French football (or soccer) player Kylian Mbappé is all over social media right now thanks to a viral meme trend, but he’s not exactly being painted in the best light.
Given the nickname “The Dictator”, it is a social media meme that depicts Kylian Mbappé as a figure who influences everything around him, including coaches, teammates, transfers, and club decisions.
It was during his time Paris Saint-Germain that the meme first took off in France, with many critics claiming that the club gave him too much influence. It was later picked up by the media and went viral worldwide after his transfer to Real Madrid and a series of viral social media edits where he was shown as historical leaders and military commanders.
People first started calling Kylian Mbappé a dictator as early as 2024 after he threatened to sue a French influencer for jokingly naming a kebab dish after him. The dish was called “Bakery bread, as round as Mbappe’s head,” a mean-spirited but ultimately silly joke.
The nickname and meme went further viral in 2026 when Real Madrid parted ways with manager Xabi Alonso. Rumor had it that Mbappé got Alonso canned after refusing Real Madrid a guard of honor, although this was purportedly nothing more than a rumor. It has now spread due to his FIFA performance, overtaking teams easily like Iraq, Senegal, and Norway in the group matches and Sweden in the round of 32.
The Dictator Mbappé memes largely revolve around edits of Mbappé as the world’s most well-known and disliked dictators, including everyone from Mao Zedong to Kim Jong Un, and even Homelander from The Boys.
These memes are often mixed with footage of Mbappé that arguably, or jokingly, shows him acting as a dictator. Some of the most popular versions of the meme show Mbappé interacting with players, coaches, etc., who have been sold, fired or no longer are involved with football, the implication being that they got in his way.
Either way, France is dominating the pitch as of late, with the General leading the charge. Whether this streak continues, we shall see.
