Kylian Mbappe is the talk of the transfer window and may well prove himself to be football’s next big thing after an explosive start to his career. The 18-year-old has thrived since being thrust into Monaco’s first team, scoring 26 goals in 44 outings last year at a rate of one every 101 minutes.
As a result, he stands in line to receive an astonishing 900% pay increase from the Ligue 1 champions, should he choose to turn down a move to Real Madrid, who are the side hottest on his tail currently.
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But having exploded onto the scene only six months ago, he remains a player largely unknown to many.
Here are five things you should know about him away from the field:
#1 Sport was everything in his family
Since he was a little child, everything in his family has been geared towards sport. His mother, for example, played handball for US Bondy, but it was football that dominated the conversations at home.
“Ever since I was really small, there wasn’t a day went by when we didn’t speak about football at home,” he told Le Parisien. “From waking up, I would scrutinise the football news the football news on television and it was the same before going to bed. It’s come naturally.”
Mbappe’s father was also at the Bondy club, but he coached football there.
“It gave me pleasure from when I was four until when I was 14. There was never any pressure, I played carefreely and I was sheltered from everything. My dad played there and coached the young teams, my little brother played for the Under-11s. It was our family’s club,” he explained.
#2 He promised his mother he would explode this season
The potential of Mbappe has long been known, highlighted last season as he won the Coupe Gambardella – the major French youth cup – with Monaco.
But excelling at that level was not enough for the teenager.
“After winning the Gambardella, she told me: ‘Yeah, it’s great, but you were playing with the kids.’
“I said, ‘Look, give me a year and I’ll do the same with the adults,’” Mbappe told Eurosport.
Twenty-six goals in 44 senior matches later, it is fair to say he came good on his promise, and he has made another: “For next year, I promise a better season still.”
#3 He has the industry to match Ronaldo
The drive of Cristiano Ronaldo to always improve is legendary, and Mbappe, who as a child idolised the Portugal star as well as Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane, seems to have the same kind of mentality to his game.
It was revealed after Monaco won the Ligue 1 title that the striker was keener to get down to his recovery work than he was to celebrate, while he possesses a remarkable maturity and level-headedness for such a young player.
“Once the euphoria has gone down, we need to get back to work because you are eternally questioned in football,” he explained. “Always put the bar higher, otherwise you do not progress.”
#4 His nickname is a strange one
Mbappe has picked up a rather unusual nickname from team-mate Benjamin Mendy, who calls him ‘Casse-bonbon’ – which translates as ‘pain in the neck’.
The full-back has explained how the tag came about, citing the popular children’s cartoon Rugrats and it’s lead protagonist Tommy Pickels, who is known as Casse-bonbon in its French version, Les Razmoket.
“He has a little clique that includes Loic Badiashile and they never stop. I call them ‘Les Razmoket’. Kylian, he’s Casse-bonbon,” Mendy explained to Le Parisien.
Mendy, however, is full of respect for the young attacker.
“He has talent but he works a lot in training,” the France left-back explained. “He’s not a cheater. He’s got his head on his shoulders, but be careful because he likes to laugh.”
#5 His maturity for making career decisions is remarkable
For a young man, he has his head firmly screwed on his shoulders. Unlike many others, he is prepared to play the long game, as he has already proven by rejecting moves to Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain to stay at Monaco.
The trip to the Bernabeu was something that particularly lives with him, especially as he got to meet Zinedine Zidane.
“It’s a great memory,” he said in December. “Zidane was the idol of my youth, and he wanted to sign me for Real, one of the biggest clubs in the world. But I wasn’t ready to experience life abroad. To leave those close to me, my country, the language barrier… adaptation would have been too difficult.
“PSG also contacted me, but the project of Monaco corresponded to me better. They would allow me to progress and put in place the best conditions on a sporting, scholarship and human plan. Now things have changed at PSG – the young guys have more chance to play.”
