How A Broke Kid Became Football's Biggest Star

Kylian Mbappé was born in a small French town known for crime, riots, and poverty. But against all odds, Mbappé fought his way to the top of the world to become the face of football. So how did Kylian escape poverty and become football's biggest star? This is the full story of Kylian Mbappé. On the 20th of December 1998, Kylian Mbappé was born. This was just six months after France lifted their first ever World Cup, but little did the world know that thanks to Kylian, it wouldn't be their last. Mbappé was born in a Parisian suburb named Bondy. This was the poorest area in Paris known for its high crime rate and frequent riots, meaning Mbappé's upbringing was far from one of luxury. He was born to two immigrant parents who both had a passion for sports. His mother, Faysa, is an Algerian handball player, whilst his father, Wilfred, is a football coach from Cameroon who coached Kylian as a kid. Kylian also has a brother named Ethan who's nine years younger than him, thus completing the Mbappé family. At six years old, Kylian began his footballing journey and even from such a young age, his coaches could tell that he had something the other kids didn't. He was much faster than everyone and had much better dribbling. He was soon scouted by one of the best academies in France and made the move from Bondy to Clairefontaine Academy, which was the academy responsible for talents such as Olivier Giroud, Nicolas Anelka, and Thierry Henry. Through his teenage years, Mbappé idolized many top football players, but there was one player that stood out above the rest, and that was Cristiano Ronaldo. He grew up dreaming about playing for Real Madrid to follow in the footsteps of his idol, but little did he know that Real were about to come knocking on his door. At age 14, as Mbappé was rising the ranks at Clairefontaine, he had all the big clubs trying to get his signature. Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Liverpool all tried to sign him, but in the end, he opted to move to Monaco, as over there he could see a clear route to the first team. So at 14 years old, Kylian Mbappé committed the next three years of his life to Monaco, where things were about to get very crazy for him. After two years in the Monaco Academy, Mbappé was brought in to train with the reserve team, but was so impressive that it only took him three weeks to get promoted to first team training. Not soon after, Kylian Mbappé would make his debut for Monaco, coming on as a late substitute in a league game against Cayenne. This debut made Kylian the youngest player to ever play for Monaco at just 16 years and 347 days old, beating the record that was previously held by Thierry Henry. A couple months later, on the 20th of February 2016, Mbappé would score his first career goal, becoming Monaco's youngest ever goalscorer, breaking another one of Henry's records. One month later, Monaco knew they had a talent on their hands, and they had to secure him at the club, so they gave him his first pro contract. Mbappé signed a three-year deal with Monaco, where he was given the number 29. This first season was a developmental one for the young Frenchman. He finished the season with 11 league appearances and one goal, but everyone around him knew that he was going to be a star. In an interview with CNN, the Monaco vice president said that he knew very early on that Mbappé was going to be a phenomenon, and he was about to be Going into the 16-17 season with Monaco, Mbappé was ready to show the world what he could really do. Monaco signed striker Adam El Falco, whom Mbappé formed a killer partnership with. Monaco had also put together the most exciting young team in the world, bringing a level of excitement and youthfulness to their style of play. As the season progressed, Mbappé quickly cemented himself as a key player in the team. He picked up his first hat-trick in December in the shortly after. Mbappé would also go on to announce himself in the Champions League, as Monaco had a historic run in the competition. Six Champions League goals from Mbappé, but most notably, a goal in each leg against Manchester City, which was an absolute thriller of a tie. And then, a brace against Dortmund in the quarter-finals, where Mbappé dropped his iconic arms-cross celebration for the first time. He says this celebration came from his brother, who used to celebrate like that whenever he would beat him in FIFA. A semi-final defeat to Juventus saw this beloved Monaco team get sent home, but they wouldn't be too worried. They managed to dethrone PSG, who had won the last four league titles with ease. Mbappé finished the season with 26 goals and 11 assists, his first league title and a debut for the French national team back in March. This stellar season for Monaco saw Europe's biggest clubs come knocking. Mendy, Silva and Bakayoko all made a move to the Premier League, but Mbappé wanted to stay in France, and luckily, there was one club that was so desperate to get Mbappé's signature that they would make an offer that Kylian just couldn't refuse. PSG were putting together a team of stars. They spent €220 million on Neymar early in the summer, and they were about to drop another €180 million on Mbappé, but due to financial fair play, they weren't allowed to spend all that in one summer, so they had to structure the signing as a one-year loan, with the purchase being completed the following summer. Kylian's younger brother Ethan also got signed to the PSG Academy as a part of the deal. But that was it. Kylian had made the move to the French capital to play alongside Neymar for the biggest team in France at just 18 years old. Mbappé arrived in Paris with a lot of hype, and it's safe to say he stepped up. A debut goal in the league in a 5-1 demolition against Metz, and just four days later, he picked up another debut goal in the Champions League against Celtic. The 17-18 season started off electric for Mbappé and PSG. Twenty-seven goals in just six group stage games really put this PSG attack in the eyes of the world. Mbappé picked up four of those goals, making him the youngest player to ever reach ten Champions League goals. Unfortunately for Mbappé, he couldn't continue this Champions League run as PSG got sent home by Real Madrid in the round of 16. This Champions League elimination forced PSG to shift focus onto the domestic competitions, which they dominated. Thirteen league goals for Mbappé helped PSG to win the league, showing that from one season to another, Kylian Mbappé was the one who made the difference. Mbappé also lifted another three domestic trophies, even bagging a goal in the Coupe de France final against LBA. This was a strong season for Paris, but everyone had just one question for Mbappé. He can do it in the French League, but can he do it on the world's biggest stage? Going into the 2018 World Cup, France were marked as one of the favorites, having just come off a final loss in the Euros to Portugal. This time, they had something different. They had a diamond on their side. They had Kylian Mbappé. Mbappé was given the iconic number 10 jersey to wear for France, as manager Didier Deschamps knew he was going to steal the show. France comfortably won their group with Mbappé picking up one goal against Peru. This goal was significant as he became the youngest French player to ever score at a World Cup. In the round of 16, France were drawn against Argentina. Messi vs. Mbappé. The future of football against the now. This game did not disappoint. A 4-3 thriller where Mbappé stole the show. Two goals from Kylian and also a penalty that he won saw his French side edge out Messi's Argentina in a legendary football match. This is the game where Mbappé found himself as one of the world's best as he showed up on the biggest stage in the world against the best player in the world and won. But his job wasn't finished. The quarterfinal against Uruguay, victory. Semi-final against Belgium, victory. This left Kylian one match away from writing his name in the history of football. 20 years after France lifted their only World Cup, they had the chance to make it too. World champion at 19 years old with a goal in the final too. This made him only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final after the one and only Pelé. Kylian also picked up the young player of the tournament award for the unbelievable talent he showed throughout the entire tournament. For winning the World Cup, the entire French team were given a 400k bonus, but Kylian stayed humble. He donated his entire check to charity because he didn't forget his poor upbringing and where he came from. But now here he is, 19 years old, champion of the world, but Kylian Mbappé was only getting started. After the World Cup, Mbappé was no longer considered just the future of football, he was the now. PSG gave him the number 7 jersey, which placed even higher expectations on him, but he was ready for them, as he carried his World Cup form straight into the next season. He was scoring goals for fun, most notably four goals in just 13 minutes against Lyon back in October. He was awarded the 2018 Copa trophy, which is the trophy given to the best young player in the world. But some would even argue he wasn't just the best young player, he was the best player overall. Yet again, PSG blitzed their Champions League group, but got knocked out in the round of 16 with an embarrassing loss to Manchester United, with a last-minute penalty from Marcus Rashford sending Mbappé home. But as per usual, PSG turned on the gas in France and picked up another league title with Mbappé's most impressive season yet. 33 league goals, 7 league assists, and a player of the year award meant Mbappé was showing that he was the best player in France, even ahead of his teammate Neymar. After yet another electric season for Mbappé, Nike came in and offered him a 10-year contract extension as they were looking to secure the future face of football, with Ronaldo coming to the end of his career. Mbappé agreed and signed Now, up until this point in Mbappé's career, it had basically been all up for him going from one high to another, but he was just about to enter the season where he would experience the first of his three major footballing heartbreaks. Mbappé started the 19-20 season like any other, strong and scoring goals, but was sidelined for a month due to a hamstring injury. Nothing Kylian couldn't shake off as he'd be back in scoring goals soon. Midway through this season, a pandemic you might have heard of came around and shut down football. PSG were crowned champions early as the league couldn't be completed, meaning Mbappé would pick up yet another league title and yet another top scorer award. The cup competitions, on the other hand, were postponed and allowed to be finished. Mbappé won both domestic cups, already meaning he'd won a domestic treble, but PSG had found themselves in a position they had never been in before. They were in the Champions League final. This was the first final in the history of PSG and this was the last trophy Mbappé needed to complete football. This meant everything to him. The problem for Mbappé was that he was suffering with an ankle injury and didn't know if he would make the final. He just about managed to recover in time to make the final, but he wasn't playing at full capacity. This injury was still a problem for him. Mbappé played the full 90 minutes in the final, showing flashes of brilliance, but it was clear he wasn't at full fitness. A couple of opportunities came his way, but nothing hit the net and he was running out of luck. Kingsley Coman bagged the only goal of the and that was that. PSG lost. Mbappé lost. This was tough. But like all top players do, Mbappé would bounce back stronger than ever. He was announced as the cover star for FIFA 21, further showing the superstar that Kylian was. Mbappé led the PSG line this season and was not messing about. Consistent goals and consistent assists have now just become a staple for Mbappé as he seemingly just kept getting better and better. In November, he picked up his 20th Champions League goal, making him the youngest player in history to reach that tally, and just a month later, he scored his 100th goal for PSG. Mbappé is just a record magnet. A Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona would see Mbappé humiliate Messi once again as he scored three spectacular goals to sink the Spanish giants. Mbappé just kept proving to the world that he is in fact a big game player. When the pressure was on, he would always step up until football heartbreak number two, but we'll get to that soon. This season was different for PSG. They actually had a title race on their hands because Lille weren't messing about. Mbappé picked up another Coupe de France, got knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals, and actually missed out on the league this year. I guess after four in a row, Mbappé was bound to lose the league sooner or later. Whilst PSG were disappointing this season, Mbappé still performed at the highest level, winning the League Player of the Season award and the Golden Boot, but all Mbappé could think about was the summer ahead. He dreamt of winning France another tournament as they headed into the Euros, but little did he know that this tournament was going to be more like a nightmare. Coming into this tournament, France were the champions of the world, making them the clear favorites to win it. Mbappé was the face of this French team as he was arguably the best player in the world at the time. France found themselves in the group of death with Germany, Spain, and Hungary, meaning just escaping the group was going to be a difficult task. Entering the first game of the tournament against Germany, Mbappé was a threat the entire game. He had a goal disallowed for offside, but France did enough to win the game in the end. In the next two games against Portugal and Hungary, Mbappé was not at his best. Two draws were enough for France to top the group and advance, but Kylian was off it. He had no goals in the three opening games. France were drawn against Switzerland in the next round, which should have been an easy task. The game was a thriller. France led the game three goals to one with 15 minutes remaining, where Switzerland bagged two late goals to take the game to extra time. Mbappé just couldn't get into the game and this ended up going to a penalty shootout. Nine penalties were taken and everyone scored. This went down to the last penalty. Kylian Mbappé was taking this penalty. If he scored, the penalties would continue. If he missed, France would get sent home. This was heartbreaking for Mbappé. He was the reason France were leaving the Euros early. This same summer saw France play in the Nations League final, which isn't a tournament at the same scale of the Euros, but it was a chance for redemption. And redemption is what Kylian got. He scored the winner against Spain and lifted the trophy with France. This was a good way for Kylian to bounce back and take his confidence into the next season, which would end up being a But as the season started off, PSG had a new star in town. Lionel Messi signed for PSG, which would create an interesting dynamic for Kylian. Most people in football thought a front three of Mbappé, Neymar and Messi would make the greatest attack in football history, but something just didn't click. Three stars in one team just didn't work. Throughout this season, Mbappé was making headlines week after week, but these headlines weren't only for his football performances. There was a lot of speculation about Mbappé's future at PSG, as he had one year left on his contract and was very interested in a move to Real Madrid. He finished the season as both the top scorer and top assister in the French League, being the first player in history to do it. He also picked up the league's player of the season award, as PSG scooped up another league title. As the season came to an end, PSG made one final offer to Mbappé. They wanted him to stay at all costs, so they gave him an offer that he just couldn't refuse. Kylian Mbappé was handed a contract with an annual salary of $50 million and a signing-on bonus of $300 million. Yes, you heard me, $300 million. Mbappé was also given a level of power in the club, where he would be involved in decisions at management level. Kylian signed and became the highest-paid football player in the world. Many football fans thought that all this money was going to get to his head, his performances were surely going to drop, but as usual, Mbappé proved them wrong. He came into the 22-23 season with the same form as he had in the last one. He started the season on fire, scoring goals as he always does, but this season was different from any other football season because, as December rolled around, club football stopped and there was a World Cup to play. Four years on from France's World Cup victory, and Mbappé was looking to make it two. In the first group game against Australia, France came back from a goal down to win 4-1, where Mbappé picked up a goal and an assist. In the second group game against Denmark, Mbappé showed up yet again, bagging both goals in a 2-1 victory. Jumping into the round of 16, France were drawn against Poland, where, yet again, Mbappé stole the show. He played a beautiful assist to Giroud and scored this wonder goal. France were through to the quarterfinals against England, where the English would soon find out that football was, in fact, not coming home. Kane missed the crucial penalty that would have drawn England level and given them a chance. Man, Kylian really enjoyed that one. Semi-final time and France were taking no prisoners. A clean 2-0 victory against Morocco saw Mbappé reach his second World Cup final just before his 24th birthday. France vs Argentina. Messi vs Mbappé. This is some déjà vu. Messi's Argentina drew first blood and not soon after, Di Maria quickly made it two goals to nothing for Argentina. Time was running out for France, but with just 12 minutes left on the clock, they managed to win a penalty and this is where the fun began. Mbappé scores the penalty and then just two minutes later, he scores this volley to level the game. The game went to extra time, where Messi made it 3-2, but Kylian Mbappé was about to do the impossible. One more penalty for France and Mbappé completed a World Cup final hat-trick. Mbappé had written himself in the history of football as one of the greatest players of all time, but despite this, Mbappé was about to suffer the third and worst heartbreak of his football career. As the game went to penalties, things turned sour. Mbappé scored his penalty, but that wasn't enough. France lost the shootout and lost the World Cup final. Mbappé scored a hat-trick, but somehow didn't walk away with the trophy. He took home the player of the tournament award along with the golden boot, but these individual awards weren't what he wanted. Mbappé was devastated, but with the nature of the World Cup being in the middle of the season, he didn't have much time to cry about it. He had to get back to Paris. Back in Paris and reunited with his teammate Lionel Messi, that must have been an awkward conversation in the dressing room, but Mbappé refused to let this heartbreak ruin his season. He continued his world-class form, picking up five goals in a single match against Vannes, making him the first PSG player to do that. In March, he was named as France's captain due to his stellar performances and high level of maturity following the retirement of Hugo Laurie. It's also no surprise that PSG picked up another league title and Mbappé picked up yet another golden boot, making that his fourth in a row along with his fourth player of the year award in a row. He finished the season with a total of 41 goals and 10 assists, keeping his performance levels extremely high. Now as he enters the 23-24 season, nothing seems to be changing. He's scoring goals for fun and as Messi and Ronaldo are finally at the end of their careers, he looks to take the place as the best player in the world, although a certain treble-winning Norwegian might have something to say about that. Mbappé's time at PSG looks to be soon over with his contract expiring at the end of this season and all of Europe's top clubs eyeing up the Frenchman. Maybe Kylian will finally get his dream move to Real Madrid, but what is very clear is that at 25, Mbappé has already written his name in the history of football and I can guarantee that his story is far from over.