After Mbappe refused to take a photo with the French national team, football players’ involvement in Politics has gained attention. However, in this regard, Mbappe is obviously impossible to be the first in history, and of course it will not be the last.
Romário was FIFA’s World Player of the Year in 1994. A prolific striker renowned for his clinical finishing, he scored over 750 goals and was the first player to score at least 100 goals for three different clubs. Romário started his political career in 2010.
Romario, Hristo Stoichkov and Johan Cruyff. pic.twitter.com/LFVtlE4zIY
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) September 21, 2022
Named African Footballer of the Year three times and the first African to win the Ballon d’Or and be named FIFA World Player of the Year, Weah’s prominence in the 1990s led him to be nicknamed “King George”.
It may be because he was born in a slum, so he was not only engaged in politics but also in charity. In his career, he became the United Nations Ambassador of Goodwill. Outside the football field, he stood out throughout his career because he opposed racism in the game.
George Weah 🇱🇷 pic.twitter.com/nO2VOZj7gT
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) September 22, 2022
Tommie Smith and John Carlos‘ Black Power Salute
16.10.68, Mexico: Black medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise gloved fists in Black Power salute on medal podium at the Olympic Games. pic.twitter.com/VRAwsFMQhV
— AutonomeGeschichte @radicalpast@todon.nl (@RadicalPast) October 16, 2021
It is one of the most famous images in sporting history: two black US athletes on top of a medal platform raising their arms high in the air, fists clenched. They did this to protest the treatment of black Americans and other minorities, but there were many dissatisfied voices in the audience at the time.
Both athletes were expelled from the games, had their medals taken away and were widely criticized for their actions, although the legacy of their protest lives on. Besides, Sports Illustrated reported that the photograph of their protest was the most reproduced image in the history of the Olympics.