Mbappé: I wanted to support the migrants who lost their lives

French Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé said on Sunday that he wanted to make a gesture of support for migrants who lost their lives by not wearing the shirt supporting the residents of Ceuta in the usual manner before his team’s victory over Elche in the Spanish league on Tuesday. Mbappé, Brazilian Vinícius Júnior, and fellow Frenchman Ibrahima Konaté faced criticism, including from Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish football league “La Liga,” for wearing the shirt partially folded. The rest of the Real Madrid players and Elche’s squad wore a shirt bearing the phrase “We are all Ceuta” in the usual way, as a message of support for the residents of the Spanish enclave in North Africa, which is facing a migration crisis.

Mbappé told the Spanish newspaper “As”: “The first thing I want to say is that I express my full solidarity with Ceuta and all the victims, because before being a player, I am a human being.” He added: “But I also wanted to make a gesture and express my thoughts toward all the migrants who lost their lives and those who are also living in difficult conditions.” Mbappé said he intended to send a “message of peace,” reiterating that he did not intend any disrespect toward the residents of Ceuta with his gesture.