Kylian Mbappe’s lawyer drops bomb as rape storm twists

French superstar Kylian Mbappe has made an aggressive move following reports that “defamed and slandered him”.

Kylian Mbappe was “shocked” to see his name linked to a Swedish rape investigation, his lawyer told AFP on Wednesday.

The French superstar, however, is “at ease” because “he has done nothing wrong”, lawyer Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard said.

A Swedish prosecutor earlier said that a rape investigation had been opened without mentioning Mbappe, following media reports that the Real Madrid and France star was the suspect following a visit with friends to Stockholm.

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Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen, and public broadcaster SVT all reported that 25-year-old Mbappe was the target of the investigation, following his two-day visit to the Nordic capital last week.

Mbappe’s lawyer Canu-Bernard said the player was “not aware of the extent of the media frenzy, but is completely calm and does not understand what he could be accused of”.

“He is stunned to hear that it could concern him. He preferred to go to training and asked my office not to leave things as they are because it is impossible to let yourself be slandered and defamed in this way.

“This is the reason why we are going to file a complaint for libel.”

Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid. Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images.

The lawyer said she could neither confirm nor deny claims in Swedish media that Mbappe was the suspect.

“We read the press,” Canu-Bernard said.

“The Stockholm prosecutor’s office issued a statement, but it does not allow us to know whether Kylian Mbappe is the target.

“I therefore have no information allowing me to confirm whether this is indeed a complaint filed against him.”

The French international was not selected for his country’s latest round of Nations League matches, so visited the Swedish capital with a group of people last Thursday.

They dined at a restaurant before going to a nightclub, according to the Aftonbladet report. Mbappe and the group left Sweden on Friday.

The newspaper said a rape was committed “in Stockholm city centre”, citing a formal complaint made to police on Saturday that it had seen.

Aftonbladet said the complaint was filed after the alleged victim had sought medical attention but did not say who was named in the accusation.

Later, Expressen reported that Mbappe was the suspect.

Mbappe on Tuesday denounced the media reports as “fake news”.

FAKE NEWS !!!! ❌❌❌
Ça en devient tellement prévisible, veille d’audience comme par hasard 😉 https://t.co/nQN98mtyzR

— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) October 14, 2024

Mbappe himself claimed in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that there was a link between the Aftonbladet report and his hearing before a French league committee on Wednesday in his bitter dispute with his former club Paris Saint-Germain over what he says are unpaid wages.

Mbappe claims he is owed 55 million euros (A$90 million) by the Qatari-owned French champions.

A prosecutor investigating the accusation told AFP: “A probe is under way into a crime that was reported on October 10 in the centre of Stockholm.”

Swedish police declined to give any further details.

“In general, if we have received a complaint and decided to conduct interviews and we make it known (to the public), those involved in the case may take actions that delay and complicate the investigation,” said police spokeswoman Carina Skagerlind.

Kylian Mbappe was so close to World Cup glory in Qatar. Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images.

Aftonbladet published photos on its website on Monday showing police officers in front of the hotel where Mbappe and the group with him had stayed.

Mbappe’s entourage said in an earlier statement sent to AFP: “Today, a new slanderous rumour is starting to spread across the web from the Swedish media Aftonbladet.

“These accusations are completely false and irresponsible, and their propagation is unacceptable.

“In order to put an end to this methodical destruction of (the) image (of Kylian Mbappe), all necessary legal action will be taken to re-establish the truth and pursue any person or media involved in the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappe is suffering repeatedly,” the statement added.

A source close to Paris Saint-Germain told AFP it would “ignore” Mbappe’s claim that there was a link between the report in Sweden and his dispute with the club.

Mbappe joined Madrid in the summer after seven years at PSG. He has become one of the world’s highest paid players after a stellar career. He joined Pele as the only teenager to score in a World Cup final when France beat Croatia 4-2 to win the 2018 edition and was voted Best Young Player of the tournament.

Four years later in Qatar, he scored a hat-trick in the final against Argentina but finished on the losing side as Lionel Messi’s side won in a penalty shootout.

Originally published as Kylian Mbappe’s lawyer drops bomb as rape storm twists