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Soccer star Mbappe becomes godfather to panda cub

Mbappe described it as a 'big moment' for him



Gold medalist in 10-metre synchronised diving at the Tokyo OlympicsChina's Zhang Jiaqi (R) and French footballer Kylian Mbappe (L) pose with the two panda twins born last August 2 during a ceremony to reveal their final Chinese names at The Beauval Zoo in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, central France on November 18, 2021.
Image Credit: AFP

Paris St-Germain soccer star Kylian Mbappe and Chinese Olympic diving champion Zhang Jiaqi became godparents on Thursday to two baby pandas born at a French zoo earlier this year.

In a ceremony at Beauval Zoo, the three month-old twin cubs Yuandudu and Huanlili nuzzled each other in a specially made mobile pen, at times trying to lift themselves onto their still weak limbs. Mbappe described it as a "big moment" for him.

The cubs' parents, Huan Huan and her partner Yuan Zi, came to France on loan from China in 2012. Their arrival was hailed at the time as a sign of warming diplomatic ties between Paris and Beijing.

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