French president Emmanuel Macron reacted sharply to a man’s arrest for an alleged attempt to kidnap striker Kylian Mbappe, terming the Real Madrid man a national treasure.

Mbappe, 27, is coming off a prolific 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, winning the Golden Boot with 10 goals and four assists in eight games, with Didier Deschamps’ side finishing fourth.

With a brace in the 6-4 third-place playoff defeat to England, the Los Blancos striker (22 goals) became the World Cup’s most prolific marksman, going past Argentina’s now retired attacker Lionel Messi.

On Wednesday (September 2), Le Parisien reported the arrest of a man who was planning to kidnap 26 high-profile targets, including Mbappe, with details of the targets’ addresses discovered on two seized mobile phones.

Reacting to the alleged plot to kidnap Mbappe, Macron said (as per TF1 via Madrid Xtra):

“Attempt to KIDNAP Kylian Mbappé? NO ONE WILL TOUCH KYLIAN. He has worn the France jersey. He is a NATIONAL TREASURE.”

The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has started the new season strongly for Madrid, scoring four times in three games, including a hat-trick. Kylian Mbappe was also among the scorers as Jose Mourinho’s side blanked Malaga 4-0 in La Liga at home at the weekend.

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho tips Kylian Mbappe to win Ballon d’Or

New Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho – who’s back at the Santiago Bernabeu helm for a second stint after 13 years – has backed striker Kylian Mbappe to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

Mbappe is coming off a strong 2025-26 campaign for Los Blancos, striking 42 times across competitions and also providing six assists in 44 games. However, he didn’t win a major title, with Los Blancos finishing second in La Liga, behind Barcelona, and losing to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

The Frenchman also shone at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, becoming the first player to win multiple Golden Boot titles.

“You cannot give the Ballon d’Or to a player simply because he won the Champions League or the World Cup,” said Mourinho (as per Guardian). “The Ballon d’Or should go to one of those players who, when they retire, will be missed for ever.

“If we want to reward the Champions League, then give it to Luis Enrique. For the Spanish national team, give it to [Luis] De la Fuente. The best player in the world is something else, and he is neither at PSG nor in the Spain team.”

He said with reference to Kylian Mbappe:

“The best players in the world, there are two, three or four of them, and we know who they are: they’re here. For me, there is one who, individually, made history this summer.”

Mbappe is coming off successive Pichichi honours even though the La Liga title eluded him on both occasions.