French superstar Kylian Mbappe has agreed to race the world's fastest-ever athlete Usain Bolt. Here's a look!
The story
Mbappe is thought to be one of the fastest footballers in the world, with his his electric pace being one of the defining features of his game.
However, running past defenders on the football pitch is without a doubt something completely different to racing the greatest athletic champion, Bolt, in a 100 metre race on the track.
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Speaking at a promotional event, co-organised by Nike and his foundation ‘Inspired by KM’, Mbappé accepted Bolt’s challenge to race.
“Knowing that I inspire someone like that is really gratifying,” Mbappe said in response to Bolt’s praise and request, according to Victory Mode.
“I think he inspired everyone a little bit, too, and every one of you in this room has gotten up in the middle of the night to watch one of his races. It’s mutual. But I started admiring him first.”
Asked whether he fancies his chances against the Jamaican icon, who holds a world-record of 9:58 seconds in the 100 metres, Mbappe said: "[I have] no chance, I think so, too."
Kylian Mbappe has clocked an estimated speed of 10.9 seconds over 100m ??
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 5, 2024
That's just over a second slower than Usain Bolt's world record ??#UCL pic.twitter.com/EQ02SAIwjf
It still remains to be seen whether Mbappe will join the France men's football team at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics in July. The 25-year-old is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain in when his contract expires in June and it is widely believed that he will join Real Madrid.
His participation at the Olympics is said to be heavily dependent on his next club, with Los Blancos reportedly unwilling to let any of their stars play at the showpiece due to pre-season preparations for the 2024/25 campaign.
The France state president, Emmanuel Macron, recently confirmed that Mbappe still hopes to play at the Olympics.
"I found myself on the pitch with his father last week and I asked him the question," Macron told La Tribune Dimanche. "He told me, '[Mbappe] wants to do the Olympics'.
"I really hope that all European clubs will give this freedom to their players. I am pleased that all French clubs are doing this and I hope that the others will follow. That's the Olympic spirit."
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