In the previous section, we saw the formation of Mbappe’s playing mindset as well as the importance of family to help him develop properly.

When Mbappe reached adolescence, he was sought after by many big clubs in Europe. The player born in 1998 used to visit Chelsea or celebrate his 14th birthday at Real Madrid. Along with a few other names on this list such as AS Monaco, Arsenal, Manchester City…

Falcao, the great teammate who helped Mbappe a lot

In the end, for the best for the development of their son, the family of Mr. Wilfried and Mrs. Fayza decided to choose AS Monaco as a place to hone more skills for Mbappe. Here, he was fortunate to be side by side with veteran Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, a one-time star who had just returned to France after poor loan spells at Manchester United and Chelsea.

Radamel Falcao helped Mbappe a lot in the early years of his career

“He’s a star,” Mbappé said. “But the important thing is that he wants to inspire young players. Falcao is like a teacher to me. Even though he always wants to score goals, Falcao also “gives” me space to express myself. He was always calm in front of goal, calm in the game and instilled in me a calm that I didn’t have, because I was young, excited and always wanted to run at 2,000 km an hour. “.

At the age of not yet allowed to have a driver’s license, Mbappe scored 15 goals in his first professional season, helping AS Monaco win the Ligue 1 title in 2017. He also has 6 more goals. more in the UEFA Champions League. At the same time, this young man had just passed his baccalaureate degree, equivalent to the French A-levels.

Mbappe is surprised at the tension on other people’s faces because he has never felt it. Everything comes so easily without too many trade-offs. When someone mentions the stress of work pressure, he shrugs and says, “Everyday life is easy.”

Everything is too “easy” for Mbappe

His tremendous growth did not surprise Kylian. It’s just that it happened a little faster than expected. However, this makes many people feel dizzy. It is extremely refreshing for a striker who is only 18 years old. Looking like an Olympic sprinter, Mbappé can dribble, cross and shoot from long distances. At the age of 18, he is better than Ronaldo and Messi at the same age.

The 23-year-old star modestly identifies himself as a “versatile player who can play in any position on the attack”. “I think my CV can speak for me,” he explains. You have to stay in top form. It’s not easy.”

“Winning the 2018 World Cup is completely normal”

In March 2017, Mbappé became the youngest player after 62 years to debut for the French national team. Five months later, Paris Saint-Germain broke the safe to bring him back to the “Park of the Princes” for a record fee of 195 million euros. In the summer of 2018, he went to Russia for the 2018 World Cup with the number 10 shirt of “Gaulois Rooster” on his back. At that time, many people believed that, with Mbappe in the squad, it was time for the French to bring the gold cup back to Paris.

“Winning the World Cup is great, but it’s only just begun”

The start in Russia was not very smooth for Mbappe and his teammates. However, the young player’s sprint like an athlete in the match against Argentina in the 1/8 round then made the whole world admire. On the eve of the final against Croatia, he admitted: “I’m a bit stressed, it’s hard to sleep before such an important moment. But the closer the game gets, the more calm I feel.” One of Mbappe’s team-mates recalled: “He went through the World Cup final as if it were a PSG-Dijon match.”

Mbappé said: “When you go to the World Cup final, everyone is convinced that they will win. Croatia too. You come out from the tunnel and the trophy is right there, and you tell yourself it has to be. It’s mine. That’s why there are tears at the end of the game if you’re the loser.”

Half of the small town of Bondy gathered in front of the giant screen to cheer on their “pride”. Scoring in France’s 4–2 win, Mbappe seemed to have reached the peak of his career at the age of 19. However, the young man did not see it that way. In an interview on the final night, he said that winning the World Cup was “good enough” but everything was just the beginning.

Mbappe became world champion at a very young age

The next day, as Bleus’ bus drove along the busy Champs-Élysées, the PSG superstar kept a cool, pensive face as he said to the President of the French Football Federation, Noël Le Graët: “All Are these really necessary?

Mbappe explained: “For me, it’s just the normal result of a game. I don’t think about the trophy at all. I don’t look at pictures of the World Cup before I go to sleep. Honestly, happiest. When I hear my fans call me a world champion, it feels great.”

Returning home after world championship and relationship with Neymar

Mbappe understands that his victory will make many people think. Returning to PSG, he immediately reassured senior star Neymar: “You are not a threat to my position. You are a candidate for the Golden Ball title this year just because I have had one season. The prize wasn’t good, but I promise, there’s no substitute here.”

Soon after, Mbappe brought the world championship trophy to Bondy, where thousands of people in the town poured into the streets to greet him like a hero. “It’s the best way to say thank you. I’ll never forget the soup I ate. So the most important thing for me after my first World Cup and first international title was to come back. home”.

Mbappe has a very good relationship with Neymar

Mbappé believes that humility is not enough, even if it is necessary. He believes that great players need to have a big ego. “In top football, no one is going to make room for you or tell you that you are capable of it. You have to convince yourself that you can do extraordinary things. Ego, love. self-love, not only the limit of the stars. It is also the will to surpass himself, to give the best. Every time he steps on the field, he always tells himself: “I am the best” .

He told himself so, but in reality, he knew he wasn’t the best. Messi and Ronaldo are too different from the rest. “Not only do I know that,” he laughs. “Of course everyone does. If you tell yourself you’ll do better than the two of them, it’s beyond ego or determination, it’s unrealistic and delusional. They broke all the rules. statistics law. They’ve had an extraordinary career over the past 15 years.”

The disaster at Euro 2020 made Mbappe heavily criticized

Confidence helped Mbappe shine in the 2018 World Cup, but it was also the same thing that pushed the French striker into the abyss at EURO 2020. The number one hope of “Les Bleus” left the tournament without scoring a goal. It was he who “sought off” the world champions early when he could not beat Yann Sommer in the decisive penalty shootout against Switzerland in the 1/8 round.

Mbappe is the villain of the French team at Euro 2020

After that disastrous match, a series of professional and personality problems of the players on the PSG payroll were pulled out by the national media to dissect. Having been “pampered” by France so far, overnight, all seemed to have turned their backs on Mbappe just because of that sinful moment.