you can love a footballer and still admit when he is wrong. i love kylian mbappe but can acknowledge his flaws (he has none) and can hold him accountable for his wrongs (never done anything wrong in his life) and call him out for his actions (which are always correct)
🚨Toni Kroos speaks on the controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappé and the Mao meme:
🗣️ Toni Kroos: “What happened to Kylian Mbappé tells you everything you need to know about the world we live in today.
“For years, people made that Mao meme about him. They laughed at him, shared it everywhere, and turned it into a running joke.
“During all that time, hardly anyone came forward to defend him or questioned why the joke had gone so far.
“Now, Mbappé finally speaks about it and admits that he actually finds the meme funny.
“Suddenly, the same world that laughed at him wants to punish him for his reaction.
“His sponsors are distancing themselves from him, people are demanding apologies, and his reputation is being dragged through the mud.
“But what exactly did he do wrong?
“Did he create the meme himself? No.
“Did he insult anyone? No.
“Did he force people to laugh at it? Absolutely not.
“He simply admitted that he could laugh at a joke made about himself.
“Apparently, that is now a crime in a world where everyone expects you to be offended on command.
“People spent years laughing at Mbappé, but the moment he refused to play the victim, they suddenly had a problem.
“Think about how ridiculous that is.
“If he had complained about the meme, people would have called him sensitive.
“If he had demanded that everyone stop sharing it, they would have accused him of having no sense of humour.
“But because he laughed at it, he is now facing a completely different kind of criticism.
“So, what exactly was he supposed to do?
“Should he pretend to be hurt just to satisfy people who want to decide how he should feel?
“Should he apologise for having a sense of humour about something that concerns him personally?
“I have always believed that people should be allowed to decide what offends them.
“You cannot spend years making someone the target of a joke and then become angry when that person decides to laugh along.
“That is not protecting anyone. That is controlling someone's reaction.
“The problem is that people no longer care about consistency.
“They care about finding the next controversy, creating outrage, and making someone pay for it.
“Mbappé did not invent the meme, and he did not ask the world to turn it into a controversy.
“He simply expressed his personal opinion about something that had followed him for years.
“And somehow, that became a bigger problem than the people who spent years mocking him.
“Footballers are human beings, not machines programmed to give the reactions that satisfy everyone.
“If Mbappé finds the meme funny, he should be allowed to say so without being forced to apologise for it.
“Sometimes, the real problem is not the joke itself, but a society that gets angry when the person being mocked refuses to be offended.
“And if we cannot understand that simple difference, then we have completely lost the meaning of having a sense of humour.”
I wonder how Mbappe handles all this hate mentally. He’s by far the most hated footballer in the world right now and one of the most hated humans. I know he’s strong but it gets to a point…
when griezmann and dembele had a video of them mocking the asian hotel staff where they mocked their language and their features while dembele recorded, they didn’t even get a quarter of the backlash mbappe has for laughing at a meme of himself, no statements from laliga or the president condemning them, no national outrage, didn’t lose any sponsors, just a shitty apology and got away with it
Kylian Mbappe has gone through the worst of what every individual can go through in his life time this year.
The coach he had an almost perfect relationship with was sacked early this year.
He got an injury that prevented him from starting in the super copa final that Real Madrid lost. Same injury prevented him from helping his team in the copa del Rey fixture for which they ended up being eliminated.
Despite being the top scorer in his only two seasons at the club some Real Madrid fans labelled him “the problem”. At a point an online petition was signed by thousands of “Madridiots” who wanted him out of the club.
The club’s trophyless season was piled on his shoulders.
People from his own country bought that and called him to be dropped from the lineup despite being on the brink of breaking several national team and world records.
Amongst all these he didn’t break, he stood tall and fought his way through and finished second at the just ended Ballon D’or awards.
And without even having time to process the outcome of events he has been subjected to online Bullying by the Chinese government and media over a harmless joke he didn’t start.
This time we have to put the professional side of things aside and care about the mental wellbeing of “the man” because it takes a lot of courage to be able to stand all this hot headed and wake up the next day to go and train.
Kyks, my words are simple, you are not alone in this. Myself and millions around the world are with you on this boat. Your happiness is our happiness and we share your sorrows with you as well. Wake up everyday knowing we are with you through these hard times and there’s no better person on God’s green earth who knows that hard times don’t last. This will surely pass and you will be victorious in any way possible. Your victory will be remembered in the history of the game because you’ve endured what no other person has ever endured. I believe that time is coming and it will be sooner rather than later.
Long story short, NEVER say NEVER because the good times are coming and we will be there also. Much strength to you and your loved ones, see you soon 🔜 ❤️
✍🏽@KMbappe 💪🏾🫂🤍