13 Interesting Facts About Kylian Mbappé

Are you looking for interesting facts about Kylian Mbappé?

With his recent performance in the recent World Cup Final, a lot of people became curious with this French athlete who managed to give the Argentinian team and the world the most exciting football game ever.

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So who is Kylian Mbappé really?

Kylian Mbappé Lottin was born on December 20, 1998. He is a professional footballer from France playing as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and the France national team.

Kylian Mbappé is regarded as one of the best football players in the world. He is known for his dribbling skills, exceptional speed, and finishing ability.

Mbappé made his senior club debut in 2015, winning the Ligue 1 title with Monaco. In the 2019-20 season, he helped PSG achieve a domestic quadruple and led the club to its first Champions League Final.

With all these achievements at a young age, there is a lot to tell about the world’s champion superstar. Read below the list of some of the fantastic facts about Kylian Mbappé.

13 Interesting Facts About Kylian Mbappé

1. He runs like The Flash

First fun fact about Kylian Mbappé is that he is one of the fastest football players in the world.

Mbappé reached 23.6 mph (38 km/h) while playing for his club Paris Saint-Germain. This was 0.25 mph faster than Usain Bolt’s average speed when he won the 100m world record in 2009.

Mbappé, on the other hand, can only go that fast for a short time. So that means that Usain Bolt, who dashed for the total 100 meters, would still win if the two raced.

2. Kylian Mbappé loves sneakers

Kylian Mbappé is a “kid with a new toy” when he gets new shoes. The Nike Air Maxes were his first pair. In an interview with Hypebeast, he said he used to beg his mother for shoes. Brand sneakers were expensive, so he had to beg his mom for them. He started with Nike Vapors. 

Nike’s website even has a special section called “BOUTIQUE DE MBAPPÉ.” It has the soccer star’s shoe choice, such as the Nike Superfly 360 Elite FG, which costs 370 euros.

Paris has many Nike stores if you want to buy Mbappé’s favorite sneakers. Two leading stores are Champs Élysées and Forum des Halles.

3. He resides in the 16th arrondissement 

Mbappé moved to Paris, where he lives in an apartment with an area of 600 square meters and has a view of the Eiffel Tower. People have called it “luxurious.” It has two floors, a big terrace, and a Jacuzzi.

But he also chose the place because it was convenient. Parc des Princes, where his team Paris Saint-Germain plays, is close by. Before he found a place to live, he stayed at the fancy Royal Monceau hotel.

4. He is history’s second teenager to score in a World Cup final 

Mbappé was only 19 years old when he scored in the 2018 World Cup final. He was the first teenager to do so in a long time. In 1958, Brazilian legend Pelé was the last and only other teenager to achieve the same feat.

France went on to beat Sweden 5-2. This year, France beat Croatia 4–2 with a goal from Mbappé. Pelé even sent the French star a tweet congratulating him, saying, “Only the second teenager to score a goal in a #WorldCupFinal! Welcome to the club, @KMbappe! It’s nice to have some company!”

5. Kylian Mbappé is from the suburbs of Paris 

Mbappé is from Bondy, which is about 11 kilometers northeast of Paris. The city has embraced the player as its new claim to fame, even putting up a red banner in front of the city hall that reads, “Thank you, Kylian, all of the people of Bondy are with you!”

His hometown hosted a welcome back reception with cheering crowds, during which the Bondy native blew two kisses as he hugged young, excited fans. Bondy was previously among the banlieues that made less positive headlines, making Mbappé’s success all the more exciting for the town.

Mbappé began his football career at the AS Bondy football club as a child. Others dubbed him “the next Henry” after watching him play, referring to Thierry Henry, the current manager of the French club Monaco and a former star footballer.

6. He donated all his World Cup earnings 

Mbappé reportedly said he did not believe he should be compensated for representing France, so he donated the approximately 400,000 euros he earned during the tournament to a children’s charity called Premiers de Cordée.

He earned around 20,000 euros per game and a bonus of 300,000 euros for winning the tournament. Premiers de Cordée, the organization he donated to, promotes sports programs for hospitalized children and disability awareness in schools and businesses.

Mbappé began working with the organization in 2017 and has played soccer with some of the children helped by the organization.

7. He Had Options To Play For Alegria or Cameroon

Mbappe won the World Cup with France, but he could have easily played for Cameroon or Algeria. His mother is from Algeria, and his father is from Cameroon.

But Mbappe was born and raised in France. He was picked to play at the famous Clairefontaine academy and played for France when he was young. Kylian had only one choice after winning the U19 UEFA European Championships with France in 2016. Two years later, he helped France win the World Cup.

8. Mbappé is the second most expensive football player 

After completing a loan agreement with his previous Monaco Football Club club, he signed a contract with Paris Saint-Germain worth 180 million euros. Mbappé has received a transfer fee from PSG of 180 million euros plus bonuses, making it the second most expensive transfer in the history of football.

The first most expensive transfer was when Mbappé’s teammate Neymar moved from Barcelona to PSG for 222 million euros.

9. Kylian Mbappé is the youngest player in the history of the Monaco Football Club

Kylian Mbappè joined Monaco at 14 and made his debut in December 2015 when he was 16. Previously, the club’s youngest player in history was the current manager, Henry Thierry. A year later, Mbappè became Monaco’s youngest player to score, breaking another of Thierry’s records.

This was all in preparation for his World Cup performance, and his early success has been noticed. TIME magazine named him one of the world’s 25 most influential teenagers in 2018. 

10. He was born into an athletic family 

There’s no doubt that athleticism runs in the family.

Fayza Lamar, Mbappé’s mother, played handball in Division 1 in the 1990s. His father, Wilfried Mbappé, was also an AS Bondy football player. Jirès Kembo-Ekoko, who was adopted by Mbappé senior, is also a professional football player.

Kylian Mbappé’s younger brother Ethan also plays in the under-12 league for Paris Saint-Germain.

11. Messi keeps watching him

Mbappe said that Messi felt pressure when winning the European Golden Shoe for the 2018-2019 season because Mbappe was closing the goal gap. Messi had 36 league goals, which is a lot, but the youngster was only 3 goals behind the legend’s record!

During an interview in 2019, Mbappe learned that Messi was worried the whole time that Mbappe would catch him. Mbappe actually told Dembele, who is also on the French national team, how “crazy” it was that Messi was “surveilling” him during the league.

12. He was involved in 54 Champions League goals 

Even though he was only 22, Mbappé had scored more goals in the Champions League than players like Samuel Eto’o, Kaká, and Wayne Rooney.

Mbappé, since making his first Champions League appearance in 2016 – 2017, has scored 31 goals and set up 20 others in 51 games.

13. He is famously known as the next Thierry Henry

Following Mbappe’s victory at the World Cup, the club celebrated to welcome him back, which was attended by jubilant crowds of young and enthusiastic fans.

They called him “the next Henry” while training with the AS Bondy football club. This description was echoed by Arsene Wenger in 2017 when he revealed that he attempted to bring Kylian Mbappè to Arsenal at the time.