Mbappe’s instrumental footwork makes him one of the best players in the current era of football. Gifted with pace, dribbling, and shooting, his dominance in European football has been turning heads.
The style of play he begins in the flanks is a feast to the eyes. As his career awaits another challenge, we look back at the moments from his grassroots to stardom.
Early life of Mbappe
Born in Paris, he spent his toddler days in Bondy, a Parisian suburb (banlieues) consisting of mostly immigrant residents and working. His father, Wilfried Mbappé, and mother, Fayza Lamari, of Algerian descent, had immigrated from Cameroon. Then Wilfried Mbappé took up a job as coach and director for the local club AS Bondy, and his son later joined the club’s youth teams at age six.
Kylian Mbappé quickly adapted to the game’s needs pulling off his exceptional speed and ball control. This was enough for gaining the attention and several years later, he was selected to train at Clairefontaine, France’s national academy for elite footballing talents. He spent two years there, where number of notable European clubs approached him like Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) expressed their interest in signing him.
Youth years
Monaco (2015–17): Breakthrough and league title
At age 14, in 2013 he signed with AS Monaco, in Ligue 1 (France’s top-division league), and represented the club’s youth and under-19 teams.
In 2015, Kylian Mbappé moved to Monaco’s reserve ranks and quickly made his way to the main squad. Later that year, he became Monaco’s youngest-ever first-team player in December 2015, at 16 years and 347 days, breaking Thierry Henry’s record. At 17 years he became the youngest goalscorer for Monaco, again surpassing Henry. All these were enough to impress as he signed his first professional contract with Monaco on 6 March 2016, committing to a three-year deal.
The French youngster scored his first career hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Rennes in the Coupe de la Ligue. , His first Ligue 1 hat trick in a 5-0 win over Metz, made him the youngest to do so since 2005. The Monaco wonder kid’s first European goal on 21 against Manchester City and became the second-youngest French scorer in the Champions League. Overall, the 2016-17 season, was a stellar breakout season seasoned with records, and clutch goals.
Mbappé finished the campaign with 26 goals in 44 matches, helping Monaco win the Ligue 1 title. He, later took the moment to credit Radamel Falcao for mentoring him during his development stage.
Paris Saint-Germain (2017- Present)
Record transfer and immediate success
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) approached Kylian Mbappé from Monaco on loan in August 2017, with a mandatory purchase option worth a stupendous €180 million. This price sent shock waves around the world, making him the most expensive teenager and second-most-expensive player ever. His debut was a double treat as he also found the back of the net on his first game, in a 5–1 win over Metz, and four days later scored his first Champions League against Celtic. Mbappé instant impact made him a key figure, helping PSG win multiple titles, including the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France in his first season.
In 2018, Mbappé changed his jersey number to 7 and the season was not short of success as he had a memorable four-goal performance for the first time against Lyon. However, he ended as Ligue 1’s top scorer with 33 goals, winning the Player of the Year award.
Mbappé continued strong, scoring 30 goals in the 2019–20 season, sharing the Ligue 1 top scorer award. PSG’s domestic dominance was turning into a common tale, but they lost in their first Champions League final to Bayern Munich. Despite a season overshadowed by Covid-19, in 2020–21 Mbappé became PSG’s youngest to 100 goals and having note worthy performances such as a hat-trick against Barcelona in the Champions League.
Mbappé extended his PSG contract until 2025 in the most unsensational way with rumours of a move to Real Madrid in 2022. By 2023, Mbappé became PSG’s all-time top scorer. Despite, all his achievements, he made a final call to leave PSG at the end of the 2023–24 season. However, his final match at the Parc des Princes saw him score in a 3–1 loss to Toulouse, marking the end of his illustrious PSG chapter.
Club stats
Monaco- 60 goals in 27apperances
PSG- 256 goals in 307 appearances
International career
In the youth stage itself, Mbappe wore the French colours and excelled by scoring five goals to help France win the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. This was enough to quicken his senior debut in March 2017 and as he became France’s second youngest player ever.
Mbappé scored his first senior goal against the Netherlands in 2017. He played a crucial role in France’s 2018 World Cup victory, becoming the youngest French goalscorer in World Cup history and scoring in the final against Croatia. For all this he won himself the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award.
His 100th career goal helped France top their Nations League group and his stats were crucial in France’s 2021 Nations League triumph, scoring in both the semi-final and final.
Moreover, the UEFA Euro 2020 was underwhelming although Les Bleus was eliminated in the round of 16. Mbappé was instrumental in France’s 2021 Nations League title, scoring in both the semi-final and final.
The French machine scored a hat-trick in the FIFA World Cup final against Argentina securing the Golden Boot with eight goals. The following year he became France’s captain r, leading the team in their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign and also surpassed Michel Platini and Antoine Griezmann to become France’s third all-time top scorer.
County stats
France- 46 goals in 77 appearances
Personal Life
Mbappe has an adopted brother named Jirès Kembo Ekoko. He is dating Stephanie Rose Bertram a Belgian model.
Net worth
Mbappé has sponsorship deals with Nike and Hublot. At 18, he launched his own Nike Hypervenom 3 boots and later unveiled Nike Mercurial Superfly VI boots. He also became Hublot’s global ambassador. Additionally, he joined EA Sports’ FIFA and became a solo cover star for FIFA 21. Time named him among the 100 most influential people, and he ranks third in the world’s highest-paid athletes list, according to Forbes. Overall, he has built a whopping $370 million empire.
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