Being a popular footballer brings with it many perks, be it boatloads of cash, access to the world’s amenities, unbridled fame or even a globetrotting career, you make it big in the game and you’re set for life.
But of course, not everything is rosy on the other side, there’s wave after wave of paparazzi, virtually no privacy, and the perils that come with extreme fame.
Once someone hits the status of international recognition, there’s no telling how other people might be profiting off their stardom.
Take for instance the many third-grade products sold across the world with Messi and Ronaldo’s faces stapled onto them without their knowledge.
While this is a more expansive example, something very specific recently happened to a Football superstar which fits right into the exploitative themes discussed above, with the player being France’s golden boy himself Kylian Mbappe.
The 24-year-old is easily among the most famous athletes in the World, and that was before his heroics at the Qatar World Cup.
After dropping a hat trick in arguably the most iconic World Cup final of all time, Mbappe’s fame hit unprecedented heights, and the young boy from Paris became a household name across the world.
As you can imagine, fame like his is prone to be exploited, but in Mbappe’s case, it was actually his father whose identity ended up being stolen.
It all came to light through a report by the LeParisien, one which told the tale of a 48-year-old man from Seine-et-Marne.
The individual dabbled in a bit of identity theft and tried to imitate Kylian’s father Wilfrid Mbappe.
He was tried by the court of Versailles on the offence of forgery, which is where his previous charges were also discovered.
Between the period of December 2021 and 31st January 2023, the offender pretended to be Wilfrid in lieu of a residence permit; he tried this trick in several districts before eventually being caught in Yvelines.
The man was identified as Mohamed A, and after little more digging, authorities discovered that this wasn’t his only rodeo.
At his home, they found €4,370 in cash, administrative documents and a partially completed file of 2 Algerians requesting regularization.
His accounts also displayed regular cash payments totalling up to €24,320, which, as you imagine, was thought to be highly irregular for an unemployed individual.
Following his trial, the man was sentenced to 10 months under house arrest with an electronic bracelet, alongside a fine of €2000.
The actual fine amounts to an eye-watering €100,000, to be paid in instalments of course.
The entire story is pretty odd, to say the least, and it goes on to show Football fame can often cause more harm than good.
