Kylian Mbappé, a Gen Z player, is increasingly asserting his position beyond the pitch.
In May 2014, young Mbappé – then 15 years old – and his friends at the AS Monaco football academy were given an assignment to reflect on the future. In that exercise, they had to design a magazine cover with their own image.
An idea immediately flashed in Mbappé’s mind. He doesn’t copy an edition of Paris Match or GQ or even French Vogue like a friend. He chose the cover of TIME magazine. With her frontal portrait, her head is tilted slightly to one side and her hands are clasped slightly under her chin. The header of the picture, in bold white text, calls him “El Maestro” – Conductor. The smaller text in the corner of the magazine declared him the best young player in the world, the top priority of the French coach. The future of football.
15-year-old Kylian Mbappé’s magazine cover design exercise. Photo: AS Monaco
From a boy’s imagination, that “fake” cover was a premonition. Just four years later, Mbappé appeared on the cover of TIME magazine – this time the real thing. Daily headlines become prophecies. At the age of 19, Mbappé helped lead France to the 2018 World Cup, becoming the first teenager since Pele to score in the final. He is widely seen as one of the best young players and, of course, represents the so-called future. In the 2022 World Cup, a day before his 24th birthday, Mbappe once again made history when he scored a hat-trick in the final against Argentina. The last time people saw such a hat-trick was in… 1966. Thanks to that achievement, Mbappe also won the Golden Shoe title from Messi, although it was Messi who touched the championship trophy.
Looking back at the cover photo at the age of 15, even Mbappe can only utter two words “Crazy”. By: “You are 15 years old and you have ambitions, every child is not. But when all of that comes true in just a few years, it’s called madness.” At the age of 24, Mbappé became the highest scorer in World Cup final history. The most valuable player in the world with a valuation of up to 189 million euros, after an unprecedented contract with PSG for 571 million euros.
This story clearly shows who Mbappé is, because ambition and madness are probably also the most accurate words to describe this special Gen Z player. People can call Mbappé a genius, but they can also call him arrogant and narcissistic, even mocking him as the Vice President of PSG (after the drama with his teammates this past summer). But one cannot deny that with that unique talent, Mbappé fully deserves the privilege. And really, he just focused on doing what he was best at: kicking soccer.
Only that love for football can make Mbappe suffer, because even if the French president goes down to the place of comfort, it cannot make up for the fact that he has scored 4 goals already. but the team still has to lose…
Football superstar with humble beginnings
Mbappé grew up in the suburb of Bondy, a community located just 10km from the center of Paris. However, unlike lavish, affluent Paris, where Mbappé lives is one of the poorest neighborhoods in France, crime and violence rates have skyrocketed over the years.
The Mbappé family are immigrants. His father Wilfried is the coach of local club AS Bondy, a team in the 10th division of French football. Realizing his son’s potential, Wilfried brought 5-year-old Kylian Mbappé to his first training session.
Just four years later, Mbappé knew he was going to become one of the best footballers in the world, and his family helped him devise a plan to achieve that goal, according to the football journalist. Frenchman Ronan Boscher.
Mbappé’s mother is a professional handball player who played for the French national team and has extensive knowledge of other aspects of football. Together, Mbappé’s parents acted as his son’s agent and helped him negotiate deals to reach the pinnacle of French football.
With outstanding talent, hard work and devoted parents helping to build his career, it’s no surprise that Mbappé has become one of the best footballers in the world.
Fashion tycoon
Like many famous football players, Kylian Mbappé became more famous on social media after entering the fashion world. Whether it’s signing with Dior, partnering with Swiss watchmaker Hublot, or serving as a global ambassador for eyewear brand Oakley, this 98-year-old is making a name for himself.
Besides, many news sites emphasize that it is difficult to have a definite answer as to whether Kylian Mbappé is in a relationship or not. Rumor has it that the French superstar is dating model Rose Bertram – who is 4 years older than him. In addition, Kylian Mbappé and Ines Rau – a transgender supermodel and 9 years older than him, were seen together at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in May.
A world class player
Kylian Mbappé has many things, but above all he is a formidable striker on the pitch. He made his debut in Ligue 1 – France’s top division – on 2 December 2015, breaking Thierry Henry’s record to become the club’s youngest player at 16 years 347 days. Kylian Mbappé scored 26 goals in his first full season to help the club win the French championship.
The miracle boy then moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 in a £166m (nearly 4.8 trillion) transfer at the age of 18 – making him the most expensive teen player of all time. era – and also his debut for the French national team.
A year later, Kylian Mbappé hit the world stage, scoring four goals during France’s trip to the 2018 World Cup before returning to Paris and leading PSG to another Ligue 1 title, winning the Player of the Year award. top of the league and finish the tournament as top scorer.
As of December 2022, Mbappé has scored a total of 302 goals in all competitions during his club career and 33 goals for the national team, according to Transfermarkt. Mbappe ended this year’s World Cup with eight goals.
But statistics alone cannot fully describe Mbappé’s devastating speed, power of force and scoring ability. Italian and Juventus defender Andrea Barzagli said of Mbappé: “Mbappé is a player with great ‘destructive power’. I’ve met a few over the years, but at Mbappé’s age with technique, physical strength, speed and, above all, mobility – changes things up and makes excellent moves when without the ball – I have never met anyone like Mbappé.”
On the other hand, Kylian Mbappé is acutely aware of his worth on the pitch as well as the commercial side. According to Dailymail, earlier this year Mbappé earlier this year threatened to leave PSG and go to Real Madrid. This negotiating tactic has forced PSG to offer a surprisingly high salary package to convince the striker to stay.
Mbappé will earn more than £547 million in total salary (over VND 15.7 trillion) in 3 years. This makes him the highest paid athlete ever. The contract includes a signing bonus of £156 million (nearly 4.5 trillion) payable over three years and paid in full even upon Mbappé’s departure. The £61m loyalty bonus to be received at the end of the season will increase annually based on a number of criteria.
The agreement was only signed when French President Emmanuel Macron persuaded Mbappé to stay in France. Besides the incredible contract with PSG, Mbappé also received many lucrative sponsorship contracts with world famous brands.
Live principled and always do charity
Despite being considered a soccer superstar, Mbappé has never forgotten his roots or been pulled away from his principles. He has decided to participate in some charity activities; attended many fundraisers, visited disadvantaged communities to play ball with young children and donated large amounts of money to help those in need.
Mbappé donated his entire salary to France’s 2018 World Cup-winning campaign – around £400k (about £11.5 billion) – to a children’s charity. “I don’t need to be paid,” he told TIME Magazine. I was there to protect the colors of the country’s flag.”
“I make enough money – a lot of money. So I think it’s important to help people in need. A lot of people are suffering… for people like us, helping people is no big deal.”
In addition, Mbappé has been outspoken in condemning evils such as gambling, alcohol and fast food, choosing not to sign any sponsorship agreements with companies engaged in sectors he considers harmful.
