Kylian Mbappe: Monaco’s Star Trainee and World Champion

Russian stadiums started to cool after heated football games, as the FIFA World Cup came to an end. This year, the French team won the title after having defeated Croatia. In their country, France’s football players were welcomed as national heroes with more than half a million supporters gathered on the Champs-Elysees, reception in the president’s residence and the Order of the Legion of Honor for each player…France has long waited for an opportunity to celebrate the victory in the World Cup. This is the second title for France. The first victory of the French team dates back to 1998. Actually, two major events marked this year: the first World champion title and the birth of the future football star Kylian Mbappe. Back then, hardly anyone could expect that almost 20 years later the young forward would help France seal the second victory in the tournament. After the World Cup 2018, there’s only one question hanging in the air: who is Kylian Mbappe?

It seems, this summer number 10 shirt was a best-seller among the French supporters. The young forward wearing this number during the World Cup in Russia became the hope of the national team and lived up to its expectations, scoring 4 goals in 7 games, including the final match.

For the younger generation of football players Kylian has surely become an idol. At the age of 19, he won the World Cup, the Golden Boy-2017 award and became the best young player of the 2018 World Cup. Be sure, this is not a complete list of his achievements. Should we say that a significant place in his promising career is given to Monaco? The Principality is the place where the world of football saw a successful professional football player. But first things first.

The beginning

Bondy is not the most prosperous suburb of Paris, located in the north-east of the French capital. Here the future champion of France grew up. Kilian was born in a family of athletes: his father Wilfrid worked as a football coach, and his mother Fayza is a former handball player. So, it is not surprising that the young man chose sports as a profession.

The start of Mbappe’s successful career was made in the Clairefontaine academy. This is one of twelve elite institutions specializing in training French football players. After graduation in 2013, Mbappe received offers from various clubs, including Chelsea and Real Madrid. In the end, he chose the training center of Monaco. But why not the French PSG? The footballer himself explained his choice by the stability that game promised him in Monaco. At this time, the Monegasque team returned in Ligue 1, but the Parisian club was in the process of reconstruction.

The youngest player of AS Monaco

In 2015, Kilian became the youngest player of FC Monaco, coming out on the field in the match of the French championship against the team of Caen. At that time, the player had 16 years 11 months.

The following year, together with Monaco’s U19 football team Mbappe won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, during which he scored 4 goals. Since 2016, Kylian and FC Monaco have been bound by a three-year contract.
His play for Monaco made Mbappe famous in the world of football. In 2016, “Manchester City” offered €40 million for the young forward, a year later his price jumped to €180 million. That’s exactly the amount PSG paid to Monaco. Thus, Kylian became the second most expensive player after Neymar, who cost the Parisian club 222 million euros.

Now, we can say that Mbappe’s professional career successfully started in Monaco.

Why Mbappe is compared to Thierry Henry?

If you consider yourself a true football fan, you surely know who is Thierry Henry. Henry is one of the best forwards in the history of football. After the recent victory of the French national team, Kylian is often compared to Henry. In fact, the players have a lot in common.

They are both the Clairefontaine academy graduates. Both played for Monaco. It is interesting that, being part of Monegasque team, Henry and Mbappe became champions of France in 1997 and 2017 respectively. A year later, both received the title of world champions. Nevertheless, if Henry became world champion at the age of 20, Mbappe outstripped him for a year.

When the French won the World Cup 2018, another legendary player Pelé posted on his Twitter: “If Kylian keeps equaling my records like this I may have to dust my boots off again…” The highest praise from the “king of football”, who became the world champion at the age of 17 years.

Well, whoever Mbappe is compared to, one thing is clear: after a successful start in Monaco, Kylian’s career will continue with PSG, where the forward will spend the new season wearing number 7.