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Kylian Mbappe has said he was not entirely comfortable with a series of AI-generated social media memes that portrayed him as a dictator during the World Cup.

The France international was shown in military uniform, seated on a throne, or placed alongside Soviet leader Josef Stalin and other controversial figures.

Speaking to France Football magazine about the images, Mbappe said he understood the humour behind them, but added that he did not like being compared with people associated with historical tragedies.

“There’s a part of it that’s funny because you can tell that, for some people, it’s good-natured," he said.

“There’s also a part that’s a little less funny because we know the damage that people like that have caused throughout history.

“Being compared to people who murder others, or who have made millions and millions of people miserable. ... I don’t think I’ve done that in my life. So there’s a mixture of things.”

The France striker, who moved past Lionel Messi for the highest number of career World Cup goals with 22, added: “I know it’s done in a light-hearted way and that it doesn’t go that far, but sometimes it shows a lack of political and human awareness among people.”

Mbappe was also reminded that his France teammate Ousmane Dembele had given him the nickname “Mobut”, a reference to former autocratic leader Mobutu Sese Seko.

“With Ousmane, it's something is different,” Mbappe said. “He picked it up from social media. With him, it’s just a joke.”

Earlier this week, it emerged that Manchester United decided against making a move for Mbappe in 2015 after failing to be convinced by a recommendation from scouts.

According to Ryan Giggs, who joined Louis van Gaal’s coaching staff at Old Trafford after retiring, the club had been advised to take a look at a young player who was then at Monaco.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Giggs said: “They (the scouting team) went to watch him.

“Monaco were playing PSG. So they went to Paris to watch him.

“A few weeks later, I said to this guy (a French contact who recommended Mbappe), ‘How did it go?’ and he went, ‘Yeah, they weren’t too sure about him’, so we just left it, and that was it.’”

Mbappe soon broke into Monaco’s senior side, helping the club win the Ligue 1 title in 2017 before joining Paris Saint-Germain for the second highest transfer fee of all time and then leading France to World Cup glory. He left PSG for Real Madrid in 2024.