Kylian Mbappé is a renowned French footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga’s Real Madrid and serves as the captain of the French national team.
Early life and Education
Kylian Mbappé Lottin was born on December 20, 1998, in Paris’s 19th arrondissement and grew up in Bondy, Seine-Saint-Denis, in the northeastern suburbs of the city. His father, Wilfrid, hailing from the Cameroonian island of Djébalè, is both his agent and a football coach. His mother, Fayza Lamari, of Algerian Kabyle descent, is a former handball player. Mbappé has a younger brother, Ethan, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, and an older adoptive brother, Jirès Kembo Ekoko, who is a former professional footballer.
During his childhood, Mbappé attended a private Catholic school in Bondy, where he was recognized as academically talented but often unruly. At the age of 15, he began learning Spanish and eventually achieved fluency. His childhood idols included Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Nazario, Eden Hazard, and Thierry Henry. As a child, he received a Robinho AC Milan shirt as a gift from his nanny’s family, who supported the Italian club, though Mbappé’s aspiration was to play for Real Madrid.
Career
Kylian Mbappé Lottin began his football career under his father’s coaching at AS Bondy and later joined the Clairefontaine academy, drawing attention from major clubs like Real Madrid and Chelsea. At 14, he signed with Monaco, where he quickly advanced to the first team, becoming the club’s youngest player and scorer. His standout performances helped Monaco win the Ligue 1 title in 2017.
In August 2017, Mbappé moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a loan that became a permanent transfer, making him the most expensive teenager in football history. At PSG, he won multiple Ligue 1 titles, domestic cups, and individual accolades, including Ligue 1’s top scorer and Player of the Year awards. He was instrumental in PSG’s run to the 2020 UEFA Champions League final.
In 2022, Mbappé renewed his contract with PSG despite strong interest from Real Madrid, making him the highest-paid player globally. Throughout his tenure at PSG, he consistently broke records, becoming the club’s all-time top scorer in several categories.
In June 2024, Mbappé signed with Real Madrid, fulfilling a long-held ambition, marking the end of his illustrious stint at PSG. His move to Real Madrid followed intense speculation and negotiations, highlighting his status as one of the world’s premier football talents.
In July 2016, Mbappé scored five goals for France, leading them to victory in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship. His two goals in the semi-final against Portugal were crucial in securing a place in the final, and he was named in the Team of the Tournament.
Mbappé received his first senior call-up in March 2017 for matches against Luxembourg and Spain, making his debut against the former and becoming the second youngest player to feature for France. In August 2017, he scored his first senior international goal in a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands. In March 2018, he scored twice in a friendly against Russia.
Mbappé was included in the squad for the 2018 World Cup. He scored his first World Cup goal against Peru, becoming the youngest French goalscorer in World Cup history. He was named man of the match against Argentina in the round of 16, having won a penalty and scored two goals. He then scored in the final against Croatia, with France emerging victorious, and was awarded the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award. Pelé congratulated him, acknowledging his feat.
In June 2019, Mbappé scored his 100th career goal in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Andorra. In September 2020, he scored in a UEFA Nations League match against Sweden but tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after. He returned in October, scoring against Ukraine and Croatia as France topped their Nations League group and qualified for the finals.
Despite the postponement of Euro 2020, Mbappé was named in the squad in May 2021. In the tournament, he had a goal and an assist disallowed for offside against Germany and provided an assist against Switzerland in the round of 16 before missing the decisive penalty in the shoot-out, leading to France’s elimination. He did not score in the tournament.
In October 2021, Mbappé assisted Benzema and scored from the penalty spot in the Nations League semi-final against Belgium, marking his 50th appearance for France. In the final against Spain, he again assisted Benzema and scored the winning goal, earning the Golden Boot for his performance.
In November 2021, Mbappé scored four times against Kazakhstan in a World Cup qualifier, marking his first international hat-trick and the first competitive hat-trick for France since 1985. He also scored and assisted against Finland in the final qualifier, securing France’s place in the tournament.
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mbappé was instrumental in France’s victory over Australia and scored both goals in a win against Denmark. He scored twice against Poland in the round of 16. In the final against Argentina, he became the second player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. Despite his efforts, France lost in the penalty shoot-out. Mbappé won the Golden Boot for the tournament and tied with Pelé as the sixth all-time top goalscorer in World Cup history. He also became the top goalscorer in World Cup finals with four goals, the first hat-trick in a final since Geoff Hurst in 1966.
In March 2023, following Hugo Lloris’s retirement, Mbappé was named the new captain of France. He led the team to victory against the Netherlands, assisting and scoring twice. In June, he scored his 40th goal for France and became the youngest player to make 70 appearances for the national team. In October, he scored twice against the Netherlands, securing France’s qualification for UEFA Euro 2024 and surpassing Michel Platini as France’s fourth all-time top scorer. In November, he scored a hat-trick and provided three assists in a victory over Gibraltar, becoming France’s third all-time top scorer with 46 goals.
Endorsements
Mbappé has a sponsorship deal with Nike. At 18, he launched his own football boots, the Kylian Mbappé Nike Hypervenom 3. In 2018, he unveiled the Nike Mercurial Superfly VI boots, inspired by the R9 Mercurial boots of Brazilian striker Ronaldo. That same year, Swiss watchmaker Hublot signed him as a global ambassador.
Mbappé has also been featured in EA Sports’ FIFA video game series. In FIFA 18, he had the highest potential rating of 94. His trademark goal celebration, inspired by his younger brother Ethan, was first included in FIFA 19. He became the youngest solo cover star of FIFA 21.
In 2023, Time named Mbappé one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and he was ranked third on Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
Personal life
Mbappé is a practising Christian. In a 2018 interview with Time, he discussed the sacrifices he made during his teenage years to focus on football, such as missing out on typical adolescent experiences like socializing with friends. Despite this, he states he is “living the life he always dreamed of.”
Four years after his professional debut, Mbappé had over 50 million Instagram followers, a number that surpassed 100 million by 2023. He acknowledges that his life has been “totally turned upside down” since gaining fame but maintains he is “happy.” He is fluent in French, English, and Spanish.
Net Worth
Undisclosed