Kylian Mbappé

Early career

When Mbappé started his career with AS Bondy at the age of six, he had several coaches, including his father. Eventually, Mbappé moved to the Clairefontaine football academy. His impressive performances led to numerous clubs attempting to sign him, including Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich. At the age of 11, Real Madrid invited him to train with their under-12 teams. Mbappé was tracked by Caen for three years, but their relegation from Ligue 1 in 2012 and subsequent failure to win promotion meant they could not afford to sign him. At age 14, Mbappé travelled to London on an invitation from Chelsea, where he played a match for their youth team against Charlton Athletic.

Monaco

In July 2013, at the age of 14, Mbappé joined the youth academy of Monaco. The club managed to secure a three-year contract with him despite efforts by Real Madrid to sign him.

2015–2017: Breakthrough and league title

In October 2015, Mbappé was brought in by Leonardo Jardim to be a mainstay in Monaco's reserve team. However, his level of skill and maturity prompted his promotion to the main squad after three weeks. He made his first-team debut on 2 December, in a 1–1 draw against Caen in Ligue 1. The 16-year-old Mbappé became Monaco's youngest-ever first-team player, breaking the previous record set by Thierry Henry in 1994. On 20 February 2016, Mbappé scored his first goal for the first team, becoming the youngest first-team…

2014–2018: Youth level and senior debut

In July 2016, Mbappé scored five times for France as they won the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. His two goals in a 3–1 victory over Portugal in the semi-finals had helped his team reach the final. He was included in the competition's Team of the Tournament. Mbappé received his first call-up to the French senior squad to face Luxembourg on 25 March 2017. On 31 August, Mbappé scored his first senior international goal in a 2018 World Cup qualification match against the Netherlands.

2018–2021: FIFA World Cup triumph

Mbappé was called up to the France squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. On 21 June, the 19-year-old Mbappé scored his first World Cup goal in a 1–0 group stage win over Peru, which made him the youngest French goalscorer in World Cup history. On 30 June, he scored two goals and was named man of the match in a 4–3 win over Argentina in the round of 16. Mbappé was the second teenager to score two goals in a World Cup match after Pelé in 1958. In a post-match press conference, he stated: "It's flattering to be the second one after Pelé but let's put things into context – Pelé is in another category." On 15 July, Mbappé scored a goal in the World Cup final as France defeated Croatia 4–2. He became the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup final. Having scored four goals in the tournament, he received the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award. Pelé congratulated him on social…

Kylian Mbappé Lottin was born on 20 December 1998 in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, and was raised in Bondy in the city's northeastern suburbs. His father, Wilfrid Mbappé, is a football coach who is originally from the Cameroonian island of Djébalè. His mother and agent, Fayza Lamari, is of Algerian Kabyle origin and is a former handball player. Mbappé has a younger brother, Ethan, who plays football for Lille. Their older adopted brother, Jirès Kembo Ekoko, is a former professional footballer. As a child, Mbappé went to a private Catholic school in Bondy, where he was considered academically gifted but unruly. At 15, he began taking Spanish lessons, and eventually became fluent in the language. As a youth, Mbappé's favourite team was Real Madrid, and he also supported AC Milan. His football idols included Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Nazario, Eden Hazard and Thierry Henry. In May 2024, days before his transfer to Real Madrid was announced, Mbappé said that he still follows AC Milan, and would like to play for them in the future.

In a 2018 interview with Time, Mbappé spoke about the sacrifices he made as a teenager to focus on his football development: "I did not have the moments of so-called normal people during adolescence, like going out with friends, enjoying good times." He said his life was "totally turned upside down" after he became famous. Just over four years after making his professional debut, Mbappé had over 50 million followers on Instagram, and by 2023 he had over 100 million followers. Mbappé is a Christian and is fluent in French, English, and Spanish. At a press conference during UEFA Euro 2024, he encouraged French young people to vote against what he called "extreme views" in the 2024 French legislative election. Mbappé is in a relationship with the Spanish actress and model Ester Expósito.

Wealth and sponsorships

Mbappé has a sponsorship deal with Nike. In 2017, he partnered with the brand to launch his signature football boots, the Kylian Mbappé Nike Hypervenom 3. In 2018, he unveiled the Nike Mercurial Superfly VI boots, which were inspired by the R9 Mercurial boots of former Brazilian striker Ronaldo. The same year, the Swiss watchmaker Hublot signed Mbappé as a brand ambassador. In December 2021, Mbappé became a brand ambassador for Dior, a partnership that was initially announced for a two-year period but is still ongoing as of 2025. In 2022, Mbappé signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the sunglasses and sporting goods manufacturer Oakley. Mbappé has been…