An article in the men’s magazine Esquire (USA) highlights the personality of Kylian Mbappe, the most highly valued player in the world today but is always humble and desires to be the best.

There is a photo of Mbappe that occasionally becomes a trend on social networks. 14-year-old boy, sitting on a bed in a private room, wearing jeans and a green hoodie. The surrounding walls are covered with pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo in a Real Madrid shirt.

Mbappe was 14 years old, his idol was Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo: Esquire

There is another photo of Mbappe that is equally famous, next to Ronaldo, but this time the Portuguese superstar is in the flesh. He wore a Real jacket, stood next to his senior, two fingers raised in a V shape.

That photo was taken in 2012, when Mbappe was training at Real. Someone there invited him and his family to Madrid to tour their facilities.

Until now, August 2021, Mbappe has never been so close to Real. The 22-year-old striker has never hidden his ambition to play in Madrid, and in the past four years, fans of this club have also desired to own Mbappe. Mbappe is a target that takes a lot of time, patience and money for President Florentino Perez. Real is not raised by oil or billionaires, but they always attract the best players.

In the summer of 2017, Mbappe left Monaco to join PSG for 180 million euros (about 211 million USD). Since then, every summer, the fire of hope of Madrid supporters is rekindled. This year, when Real is in economic crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fans are preparing to witness the final milestones of this long-term deal.

About two decades ago, when launching “Milky Way” with Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Michael Owen or David Beckham, Perez said that these players were “born to play for Real Madrid”, and Real is The perfect destination for the best players. Mbappe is considered the most likely person to succeed Cristiano and Lionel Messi, and may be the first representative of the 9x generation or later to win the Golden Ball.

At the age of 18, Mbappe entered the dressing room of the French team. “Competition there was very difficult,” he recalls. “Because great players don’t want to lose their position. That’s why they become great players. And of course they also don’t want to lose their position to someone who is labeled a ‘great player’. era of the future'”.

A year later, Mbappe won the 2018 World Cup with France in Russia, and he played prominently throughout the tournament.

Mbappe with the 2018 World Cup gold cup. Photo: Reuters

Three years later, Esquire magazine reporters went to Mbappe’s villa, located on a street full of trees and leaves in Neuilly, a suburb of Paris .

It’s not even Mbappe’s own house, he bought it for charity. There, dozens of rich and poor children can play together after school. During the conversation, Mbappe looked like a veteran host, rather than a young football player. He spoke concisely in complete sentences, as concise as the way he ran on the field. His running and sitting postures are straight and his face is always smiling. He converses without the fear of saying the wrong thing like regular football players.

At the age of 22, Mbappe already owns a title that many of the best players in history have not had. The question is can he take another step towards becoming the best player in the world?

Mbappe’s story begins not far from Paris. His home city is Bondy, a multicultural suburb just northeast of Paris. This land is like a Soviet town turned up in an ancient French village. Fast food restaurants surround an old church, interspersed with faded 1960s apartment buildings. One of the apartments is decorated with a giant mural of Mbappe.

Mbappe’s parents grew up in Bondy. His father’s name is Wilfried, originally from Cameroon, and his mother’s name is Fayza, originally from Algeria. Multinational marriages are not uncommon in the Paris suburbs, but Wilfried and Fayza faced local opposition.

To become a professional player, a player must be born in a suitable environment. And Mbappe’s home in Bondy could be the perfect environment. Mbappe’s father and uncle both coached soccer, and his mother played handball in the French first division. His parents adopted a son 10 years older than Mbappe, named Jires Kembo Ekoko. Ekoko later became a professional soccer player. “I was not passionate about anything other than family tradition,” Mbappe said gently.

Mbappe grew up at local football team AS Bondy. “In the suburbs of Paris, soccer fields are everywhere,” he said. “Everyone here lives for football. I grew up next to the football field, I can see it from my room window.”

It’s not surprising that the suburbs of Paris gather the most talent in the soccer world, producing famous players like Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi, Kingsley Coman, N’Golo Kante or Riyad Mahrez.

As a non-white kid from the suburbs, did Mbappe feel like he was French, before becoming a French football icon? “I always see myself as truly French,” he said. “I don’t deny my origins, but I have lived in France since I was born. And I have always felt at home here. My family loves France because of what they have done for us. We will try to repay this country.”

Parents also forced Mbappe to seriously study culture. He is also a flautist at the Bondy Conservatory, although he does not have too much talent. But, football is still Mbappe’s priority. He said: “Dad was my coach for the first 10 years. He helped me create the playing style that I wanted. But I never felt pressured to become a professional football player. Simple with Football is my passion.”

Thanks to the training of his father and uncle, Mbappe was nurtured with a special talent. He is a player with the mind of a coach. “When I was very young, I was always in the dressing room, listening to stories about tactics and different football philosophies,” he said. “Because football develops because of different philosophies. I have learned to be patient, to put myself in other people’s shoes, just like what a coach needs to do. I think I have a talent for doing that. In football, thinking like that is very useful. A normal player will only think about himself and his personal career. If I see a teammate who is unhappy with the match, I will try my best. help him relax.”

Mbappe is a perfect sports model: Gifted and trained. “Kylian absorbs advice very quickly. Just tell him once, next time he can do it,” former AS Bondy coach – Mr. Antonio Riccardi – said about Mbappe’s old trick.

Mbappe (bottom row, right) in AS Bondy shirt. Photo: TPT

From an early age, Mbappe played effective football, by being decisive and never showing off.

A little older, Mbappe began to be noticed by big clubs in Europe, because they were all interested in young talents in the suburbs of Paris. Mbappe visited Chelsea, and celebrated his 14th birthday at Real. When Zidane offered to take Mbappe around in the supercar, the boy was shy and asked permission to take off his shoes before climbing in.

He sifted through a series of offers and chose Monaco, which had the shortest path to the first team. “I arrived in Monaco with my football luggage fully loaded,” Mbappe said.

Children in sports families always understand that they never reach the finish line. Every step is an opportunity to learn and progress. In the Monaco first team, young Mbappe competed with veteran striker Radamel Falcao. At that time, Falcao had just returned from an unsuccessful loan period at Man Utd and Chelsea.

“Falcao is a star,” Mbappe said. “But he wants to impart experience to the young people. Falcao is like my teacher. He always wants to score, but still gives me space to express myself. Falcao is very calm in front of the goal as well as in the game. match, and he instilled a calmness that I didn’t have. Because at that time I was young, impulsive and always wanted to run at 2,000 km/h.”

When he was not old enough to get a driver’s license, he scored 15 goals in his first professional season, helping Monaco win the French championship in 2017. He scored six more goals, in the Champions League knockout rounds. Also that year, he graduated with honors.

Mbappe was surprised to see his colleagues showing tension, because he had never felt like that himself. Success comes to him easily, without any great sacrifices. When asked about the pressure of a job that requires too much competition, he shrugged and said, “My daily life is very easy.”

Mbappe and Falcao helped Monaco win Ligue 1 in 2017. Photo: Reuters

Mbappe was not surprised when he progressed vertically, it was just that the results came a little sooner than he imagined. And everyone else was stunned. An 18 year old striker, running as fast as Olympic athletes. While running, he still had time to look around. Mbappe can dribble, cross and shoot the ball. He is more successful than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, at the age of 18.

How would Mbappe describe his playing style? “A modern striker, can play in any position,” he replied. Normally, an attacking player can play at position 9, 11 or 7. Mbappe has it all in one.

“What I have done has changed what I wanted to say,” Mbappe added. “I played a central striker, drifting left or right. Not everyone can change positions so constantly and still maintain top form. My abilities don’t fall from the sky. All of them are was in the luggage I took to Monaco.”

Mbappe also has his own opinion, when someone says that his playing style is unbalanced. He said: “I always try to overcome my weaknesses. But most of all I want to improve my strengths. Because I always tell myself that if we sharpen our strengths, we can survive.”

In March 2017, Mbappe became the youngest player to debut for France, after 62 years. Five months later, hometown club Paris Saint-Germain signed a contract to recruit him. He speaks English and Spanish well, to communicate with foreign teammates at PSG. French assistant coach Guy Stephan said: “Mbappe always stands out in the dressing room. At the dinner table or on the bus, he doesn’t sit somewhere randomly. Mbappe is not the type of player who is timid or introverted. heart, but he always wants to express himself.”

Mbappe with a hat-trick against Barca at Camp Nou in the Champions League in February 2021. Photo: Reuters

At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Mbappe confidently wore the number 10 shirt that once belonged to Zidane and Michel Platini. He also said in public that France would win the title. “I played the World Cup calmly as always,” he said. “I don’t want to change just because it’s the World Cup. We were lucky to have a young and talented squad. We were completely carefree, but united as a band.”

In the eighth round, he made a name for himself globally with two goals and a 37 km/h sprint through Argentina’s defense. The night before the final against Croatia, he admitted to being a little nervous. “I didn’t sleep much. But as the match got closer, I became less nervous,” he said. Before entering the match, Mbappe joked in the dressing room: “It feels like we’re about to play Dijon, right?”.

“When playing the World Cup final, everyone believed they would win,” Mbappe said. “Even Croatia believes that they will win the championship. When they step onto the field and see the Golden Cup placed between the two teams, everyone tells themselves that they can’t let the other team take it. That’s why the losing team is very disappointed”.

Half the people of Bondy gathered in front of the giant screen to cheer for “team Mbappe”. He scored to help France win 4-2, seemingly reaching the peak of his career at the age of 19. But, Mbappe did not feel that way. In an interview after the final night, he said: “Winning the World Cup is good. But, this is just the beginning.”

The next day, a bus carrying the French team drove along the Champs-Élysées filled with jubilant fans. In the car, Mbappe coldly said to French Football Federation President Noel Le Graet: “Is this necessary?”.

Explaining that story, he said: “For me, that achievement is not a destination, but just a final. I don’t think about that cup now. I don’t see World Cup photos.” before going to bed. But while walking on the street, people came up to me and said: “You are the world champion. Thank you. Thank you”.

He understands that winning the World Cup is an achievement that many other famous players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi or Neymar have not achieved. Some people think that Mbappe should become PSG’s conductor, but he doesn’t think so. Returning to PSG, he immediately reassured his senior Neymar: “You may be a candidate to win the Golden Ball this year, but I promise I won’t want to compete for your position.”

Afterwards, Mbappe also brought the Golden Cup back to Bondy, where thousands of people poured into the streets to welcome him. He said: “This is a way to say thank you. I will never forget the soup I ate. I felt the need to come back here after my first World Cup title, and my first international title.” He clicked on the word “first”.

Coach Didier Deschamps once admitted that he was ecstatic about winning the 1998 World Cup as a player throughout the following season. Does Mbappe experience such feelings? He smiled and said: “I became the best player in the tournament, the player who scored the most goals, the best young player, was selected for the representative team, and we won the championship.”

Mbappe became a national hero with the World Cup championship. Would you consider yourself a star? “Yes, I think so,” he said. “If my face appears everywhere in the city, and in the world, then I am definitely a star. But stardom is just a status, being a star does not mean I am better than others.” .

Every time Mbappe leaves the house, he is seen by fans, everywhere. “I have a team just to help me out,” he joked. “If my children ask me later about the adventures of my youth, I will say that Dad had no adventures at all.”

“My fans give me immense love,” he added. “But sometimes they show excessive affection, and and may not respect my privacy. We dedicate our lives to everyone, by bringing joy every three days. I I can’t hope for a normal life, but I just need everyone to respect a little of my private life. Perhaps such a request is not too much.”

At PSG, Mbappe always considered Neymar the brightest star. Photo: Reuters

The French like modest stars. Mbappe explained the “French mentality” to Neymar – who likes a partying and expensive lifestyle. Mbappe said: “Brazil has more festivals, while France lives more seriously. Here, people do not consider it good for guests to show their joy. People think that Neymar is not devoted to PSG, if they see him He played poker. I think he was starting to understand that. At first, Neymar had difficulty adapting. When Neymar arrived, they put his face on the Eiffel Tower. Six months later, they asked him again “Why do you play poker? In France, people know what you have, but they don’t want to see those things. They just want to see you play football and smile.”

But Mbappe believes that being humble is not enough. He believes that great players need to have big egos. “In top football, there is no one to save a place for you to perform. You have to convince yourself that you are capable of taking that place. Ego is not only a limit to becoming a star, but also to overcoming it. through yourself, giving your full potential.”

Every time he steps onto the field, Mbappe often thinks to himself: “I’m the best.”

In fact, he knows he is not the best, because Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are better. “It’s not just me who knows that,” he said, laughing. “Everyone knows that. If someone says they are better than Messi and Ronaldo, they don’t have a big ego and the problem here is lack of awareness. No one can compare with these two players. They broke broke all statistical rules. They played phenomenally for 10, 15 years.”

But Mbappe also admitted: “I always compare myself with the best, just like a baker compares himself with the best workers. Who makes the best croissants? Who makes the bread?” the best chocolate? I watch the matches of other good players to see how they play. I know how to do this, can he do that? I think other players also watch me play. This That motivates players to improve their level, just like Messi is good for Ronaldo, and Ronaldo is good for Messi.”

Does Mbappe compare himself to talented strikers of the same age like Erling Braut Haaland? He replied: “This is only Haaland’s second season. We are getting to know him. I am happy for what he is doing.”

In the race for individual awards, the top position is about to open up for other players. Messi is 34 years old, and Ronaldo, 36 years old, is nearing the end of his career. Mbappe understands that. In February 2021, his hat-trick helped PSG defeat Barca – the team that still had Messi – with a score of 4-1 at Camp Nou. “Best match of my career,” Mbappé said. “Because I played the perfect game. I helped the team both offensively and defensively. I created chances and finished goals in one-on-one situations. I won 90% of the duels pair in the match, if that stat is correct. During the match, I never felt down even for a moment.”

Mbappe also scored two goals against Bayern Munich, before PSG was eliminated by Man City in the semi-finals.

Some teams had to adjust the system to stop Mbappe’s counterattack speed. “Every match, there are quite a few plans against Kylian,” he said. “It means I’m recognized as a great player. But it also means I have to put more arrows in my bow. I love doing that, because I like challenges.”

Before Mbappe is perhaps the biggest decision of his career, whether to go to Real or stay at PSG. The decision belongs entirely to Mbappe and his family, as he has no representative, only lawyers. His contract will expire in the summer of 2022, when he can freely go to Real. But, it is possible that this deal can happen in the summer of 2021, if Real and PSG agree on a suitable transfer fee.

Mbappe already has the World Cup, but still lacks many titles to be considered the best player. When asked what his ambition is in football, he replied, still with his familiar smile: “Winning at everything.”