Kylian Mbappé’s night took an ugly turn as Ester Expósito became the target online

K

ylian Mbappé was nowhere to be found during France’s World Cup semifinal against Spain,

but for some reason, the conversation

quickly turned to his spanish girlfriend, Ester Expósito, for all the wrong reasons.

Social media has been flooded with comments that are far from harmless, carrying a layer of sexism disguised as humor.

Spanish fans have

sarcastically thanked Ester for distracting the French captain

before the match, with many claiming

she had tired him out and that was why he failed to perform at his usual level.

When criticism crosses the line

The way these comments have been normalized is concerning

. Simply because Ester is a woman,

people have felt comfortable blaming her for her partner’s below-average performance

. Even more troubling,

many have praised her for supposedly using her appearance or sexuality to influence the outcome

, reducing her to a stereotype and

turning her into the target of public ridicule.

The remarks have continued to spread, with

some Spanish supporters even describing her alleged role as a service to Spain

. Rather than being challenged, these comments have been widely shared and repeated, highlighting how

deeply normalized this kind of online behavior remains and how much work is still needed when it comes to gender equality and education.

A darker side of football fandom

This has become one of the negative realities exposed during the World Cup.

While the tournament has delivered unforgettable moments of passion, celebration and emotion, it has also revealed how easily online abuse can be excused as humor

. Instead of focusing on football, the conversation has been redirected toward sexist narratives that normalize harmful behavior and continue to thrive across social media.

Despite the attention surrounding them,

neither Kylian Mbappé nor Ester Expósito has publicly confirmed their relationship

. Yet that has not stopped thousands of people from

turning her into the face of France’s defeat.

What should have remained a conversation about football, tactics and

Mbappé’s performance instead became another example of a woman being blamed for a man’s results

, proving how quickly

online narratives can shift from sport to sexism.