Giannis Antetokounmpo playfully cites likeness to Kylian Mbappé in search of massive payday
Giannis Antetokounmpo's fun social-media offseason continued Monday when he posted a smiling picture of himself on Instagram, appealing to Saudi soccer club Al-Hilal for an eye-popping paycheck.
"Al Hilal you can take me. I look like Kylian Mbappe 😂😂👀," Giannis wrote.
Al-Hilal offered Mbappé, the star of the French team that fell to Argentina in the World Cup final, a one-year, $776 million deal, with another $332 million going to his current club, Paris Saint-Germain, as a transfer fee. But ESPN sources said Mbappé, who's at a contract impasse with PSG, wasn't interested in the deal.
Perhaps facially there's a resemblance, though Mbappé stands 5-10 and Giannis is ... taller. Mbappé appeared to appreciate the comparison, though.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/hKhqYXC7tH
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) July 24, 2023
Antetokounmpo's interest in soccer is well-documented. He's an investor in the Nashville Major League Soccer franchise and he visited Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 when the Bucks played a game in Paris, getting an opportunity to meet Mbappé. Giannis, whose father Charles played soccer professionally in Nigeria, grew up with soccer dreams before basketball entered the picture.
Al-Hilal failed recently to land Lionel Messi, who instead went to Inter Miami CF in MLS and delivered an unforgettable debut Friday. Saudi Arabia has sought to buy its way into prominent international sports, with LIV golf as the highest-profile example, raising concerns that the nation's government is using sports to try and deflect from its human-rights record.
As fun as it would be to see Giannis on the pitch, he'll be continuing to craft his Hall of Fame basketball legacy next year, and he'll keep getting paid well. Antetokounmpo will make nearly $45.6 million in the third year of his five-year, $228 million "Supermax" contract in 2023-24. He's eligible to sign a three-year extension reportedly worth $173 million or a two-year deal worth $118.6 million if he chooses, in a monthlong window beginning Sept. 22.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Giannis Antetokounmpo playfully cites likeness to Kylian Mbappé
