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Kylian Mbappé Lottin (born 20 December 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the France national team. Regarded as one of the best players in the world, he is renowned for his dribbling abilities, exceptional speed, and finishing.[2][3]
Born in Paris and raised in nearby Bondy, Mbappé began his senior club career in 2015 playing for Monaco, where he won the Ligue 1 title. In 2017, aged 18, Mbappé signed for Paris Saint-Germain on an eventual permanent transfer worth €180 million, making him the second-most-expensive player and most expensive teenage player of all time.[4] There, he has won five Ligue 1 titles and three Coupes de France, including a domestic quadruple in the 2019–20 season, as well as leading the club to its first ever UEFA Champions League final in 2020. He is the club’s all-time top goalscorer and third all-time in assists.
At international level, Mbappé made his senior debut for France in 2017, at age 18. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Mbappé became the youngest French player to score at a World Cup, and became the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup Final. He finished as the joint second-highest goalscorer as France won the tournament, and won the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player and French Player of the Year for his performances. At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, France reached the final; Mbappé won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball and set the record for most goals scored in World Cup finals.
Mbappé was runner-up for the 2022 The Best FIFA Men’s Player award. He was named to the FIFA FIFPro World11 in 2018, 2019 and 2022, the UEFA Team of the Year in 2018 and the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season in 2016–17, 2019–20, 2020–21 and 2021–22. He was awarded the Golden Boy in 2017, and was shortlisted for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2019 and 2023. Mbappé has won Ligue 1 Player of the Year a record four times, and has finished as the Ligue 1 top scorer for a joint-record five seasons; in the 2021–22 season, he became the first player to finish as both Ligue 1 top scorer and top assist provider. In 2023, he was among Time‘s 100 most influential people in the world, and was ranked third on the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
Early life
Kylian Mbappé Lottin[5] was born on 20 December 1998[6] in the 19th arrondissement of Paris[7] and was raised in Bondy, Seine-Saint-Denis in the northeastern suburbs of Paris.[8] His father, Wilfrid, is originally from Cameroon, and, as well as being his agent, is a football coach. His mother, Fayza Lamari, is of Algerian Kabyle origin and is a former handball player.[9][10][11][12] He has a younger brother, Ethan, who plays in the Paris Saint-Germain Academy.[13][14] Their older adoptive brother, Jirès Kembo Ekoko, is a former professional footballer.[15]
As a child, Mbappé went to a private Catholic school in Bondy, where he was considered academically gifted but unruly.[16] At 15, he began taking Spanish lessons, and eventually became fluent in the language.[17] Among Mbappé’s idols growing up were Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazário, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry.[18][19][20][21][22][23] During his childhood, he had a nanny whose entire family were AC Milan fans from whom Mbappé once received Robinho’s number 70 shirt as a gift.[24][25] However, as a child, Mbappé aspired to play for Real Madrid.[26]
Club career
Early career
Mbappé began his career at AS Bondy, coached by his father, Wilfrid. Another of his youth coaches at AS Bondy, Antonio Riccardi, stated,
The first time I coached him was when he was six years old. You could tell he was different. Kylian could do much more than the other children. His dribbling was already fantastic and he was much faster than the others. He was the best player I’ve ever seen in 15 years coaching here. In Paris, there are many talents but I’d never seen a talent like him. He was what we call a ‘crack’ (the best).[27]
Eventually, he moved to the Clairefontaine academy, putting on a host of impressive performances leading to numerous French clubs, and Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, attempting to sign him.[12] At the age of 11, Real Madrid invited Mbappé to train with their under-12s and visit the club’s facilities.[28] At age 14, he travelled to London after an invite from Chelsea, playing a match for their youth team against Charlton Athletic.[29] He ultimately settled on Monaco.[30]
Monaco
2015–16: Development
In October 2015, Mbappé was brought in by Leonardo Jardim to be a mainstay in Monaco’s reserve team, but his level of skill and maturity prompted his promotion to the main squad after just three weeks.[31] He made his first team debut two months later on 2 December 2015 in a 1–1 Ligue 1 home draw against Caen, replacing Fábio Coentrão after 88 minutes. Mbappé therefore became Monaco’s youngest-ever first-team player aged 16 years and 347 days, breaking Thierry Henry’s record set 21 years previously.[30][32]
On 20 February 2016, Mbappé scored his first goal for the club’s first team, a stoppage-time goal in a 3–1 league win over Troyes at the Stade Louis II; at the age of 17 years and 62 days, he became the youngest first team goalscorer in Monaco’s history—once again displacing Henry in the process.[33][34] On 6 March 2016, Mbappé signed his first professional contract, a three-year deal, tying him to Monaco until June 2019.[35] In an interview with CNN, Vadim Vasilyev, AS Monaco’s vice-president, who played a key role in Mbappé signing his first professional contract with the Ligue 1 club, stated that he knew early on that Mbappé was a “phenomenon”.[36]
2016–17: Breakthrough and league title
Mbappé scored the first hat-trick of his first-team career on 14 December 2016 in a 7–0 home win over Rennes in the Coupe de la Ligue round of 16 – the first hat-trick scored by any Monaco player in the competition since Sonny Anderson in 1997.[37][38][32] On 11 February 2017, Mbappé scored the first Ligue 1 hat-trick of his career in a 5–0 home win over Metz; at 18 years and 2 months, he became the youngest player to score a league hat-trick since Jérémy Ménez did it for Sochaux back in 2005.[39] On 21 February, Mbappé scored Monaco’s second goal in the 40th minute of a 5–3 loss away to Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. It was his first European-competition goal, and he became the second-youngest French scorer in Champions League history behind Karim Benzema.[40][41] On 5 March, Mbappé scored two first-half goals in a 4–0 home win over Nantes to bring his Ligue 1 career tally to ten goals, becoming the youngest player in the previous thirty years to reach the ten goal mark in the league.[42][43] On 11 March, he scored a goal in a 2–1 home win over Bordeaux, registering his seventh goal in his previous four league starts.[44]
On 15 March 2017, Mbappé scored Monaco’s opening goal in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie with Manchester City. Monaco went on to win 3–1, and with the aggregate score tied 6–6, advanced to the quarter-finals thanks to the away goals rule.[45] In the quarter-finals against Borussia Dortmund, Mbappé won a penalty and scored two goals as Monaco won the first leg 3–2 at the Westfalenstadion.[46] In the second leg at home, he opened the scoring as Monaco won 3–1 and advanced to the semi-finals.[47] They were eliminated from the Champions League 4–1 on aggregate by Juventus, with Mbappé scoring his team’s lone goal in the second leg.[48] Mbappé ended the 2016–17 season with 26 goals from 44 matches in all competitions as Monaco won the Ligue 1 title.[49] Mbappé credited fellow Monaco striker Radamel Falcao as a key influence on him throughout the season, giving him the space to express himself, teaching him to be “calm” and “serene” during the game, traits which Mbappé noted he lacked.[50]
Paris Saint-Germain
2017–18: World record transfer and domestic treble
On 31 August 2017, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) announced the signing of Mbappé from Monaco on loan with a mandatory purchase option of €180 million.[51][52] According to PSG recruiter Luis Ferrer, part of Mbappé’s decision was influenced by a speech given manager Unai Emery at the Mbappés’ home over the summer.[53][54][55] The €180 million fee made Mbappé the most expensive teenager ever and the second-most-expensive player ever (behind teammate Neymar), and broke the record for the largest transfer within a domestic league.[56][57][58][59] He was handed the number 29 shirt upon arrival in the French capital.[60]
On 8 September 2017, Mbappé made his PSG debut in a 5–1 Ligue 1 win away at Metz, scoring a goal.[61] Four days later, he recorded his first European goal for the club in a 5–0 UEFA Champions League group stage away defeat of Celtic.[62] He starred in PSG’s 3–0 victory over Bayern Munich in the second group game of the Champions League, setting up goals for Edinson Cavani and Neymar, the latter seeing him taking out a defender with a feint by rolling the ball under his foot.[63] On 6 December, Mbappé scored his 10th career Champions League goal in a 3–1 defeat to Bayern Munich, becoming the youngest player to reach that mark at the age of eighteen years and eleven months.[64] Having won his first league title with the club, on 8 May 2018, Mbappé played as PSG won 2–0 against Les Herbiers to clinch the 2017–18 Coupe de France.[65]
2018–19: Ligue 1 Player of the Year
In July 2018, Mbappé was given the number 7 jersey for the upcoming season with PSG, taking up the squad number vacated by Lucas Moura.[66] Sporting the hashtag #K7LIAN, Mbappé stated, “I keep trying to progress on the pitch and I think that, for me, it was the right time to change number. It is something of an affirmation. The No. 7 shirt is a legendary one and many greats have worn it. I hope that I will be able to do this number justice on the pitch.”[66]
In his first appearance of the season, Mbappé scored twice in the last 10 minutes as PSG won 3–1 against Guingamp in Ligue 1.[67] In the following league game, the front three of Mbappé, Cavani and Neymar all scored in a 3–1 win over Angers at home, with Mbappé – starting his first game of the season – scoring from a volley and setting up Neymar to score the third.[68] On 1 September, he scored and assisted in a 4–2 away win over Nîmes, but was sent off for the first time in his career with a straight red card in injury time, after shoving Téji Savanier in retaliation for a late challenge from behind, for which Savanier was also sent off.[69] Regarding his sending-off, Mbappé told reporters after the match, “If I had the chance to do it over again, I would do the same thing. I will apologise to the supporters and everybody, but I cannot tolerate this sort of thing.”[70] On 8 October, Mbappé scored four goals in just 13 minutes in a 5–0 home victory over Lyon and became the youngest player (nineteen years and nine months) to score four goals in one game in Ligue 1 over the last forty-five seasons.[71] On 3 December, Mbappé was the inaugural winner of the Kopa Trophy, which is awarded by France Football to the best player in the world under the age of 21.[72]
On 19 January 2019, Mbappé was one of two players (the other being Cavani) to score a hat-trick in a 9–0 win over Guingamp, breaking a record PSG set the previous season.[73] On 12 February, he scored a goal in a 2–0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions League round of 16.[74] On 2 March, he scored twice in a 2–1 away win over Caen to reach his 50th goal with the club.[75] On 6 March, PSG lost 3–1 at home against Manchester United and was subsequently knocked out from the Champions League on the away goals rule.[76] On 21 April, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against Monaco, to be his first goals against his former club.[77] PSG finished the season as Ligue 1 champions,[78] with Mbappé winning the Player of the Year award,[79] while also finishing the season as the top goalscorer with 33 goals.[78]
2019–20: Domestic quadruple and European final
On 3 August, Mbappé scored in a 2–1 win over Rennes to capture his first title of the 2019–20 season, the 2019 Trophée des Champions.[80] He then scored again in PSG’s opening Ligue 1 match of the season, a 3–0 home win over Nîmes on 11 August.[81] On 22 October, he came off the bench and scored a perfect hat-trick,[82] in a 5–0 away win over Belgian side Club Brugge in the Champions League; at the age of twenty years and 306 days, he became the youngest player ever to score at least 15 goals in the competition.[83]
On 1 May 2020, PSG were crowned Ligue 1 champions after the season had been called off amid the COVID-19 pandemic; at the time of the League’s premature suspension, PSG were in first place, with a twelve–point lead over second–placed Marseille.[84][85] Mbappé finished the 2019–20 season as joint-top scorer in Ligue 1 with 18 goals, along with Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder. However, Mbappé was assigned the title of top scorer due to his superior goals per game ratio.[86] On 24 July, in the 2020 Coupe de France Final against Saint-Étienne, Mbappé was forced off after sustaining an injury following a challenge from Loïc Perrin, who was sent off; PSG won the match 1–0,[87] although Mbappé was ruled out of the 2020 Coupe de la Ligue Final,[88] which PSG went on to win, completing a domestic treble.[89] He returned to action in the Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta on 12 August, coming on a substitute, and assisting Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s match–winning goal in injury time.[90] PSG eventually lost out in the 2020 Champions League final 1–0 to Bayern Munich on 23 August.[91]
2020–21: Third time top scorer
Mbappé missed the first three matches of the season after contracting COVID-19 while playing with the France national team.[92] He returned to action on 20 September 2020 in a 3–0 away win against Nice, and scored a goal from a penalty kick.[93] On 28 October, Mbappé recorded two assists, both for Moise Kean, in a 2–0 Champions League group stage victory against İstanbul Başakşehir.[94] In doing so, he became the player with the most assists in the competition since the beginning of the 2017–18 edition, with his tally adding up to fourteen over the four seasons.[95] In a Ligue 1 match against Montpellier on 5 December, Mbappé scored his 100th goal for PSG, becoming only the fifth player to achieve the feat for the Parisian club.[96] In his side’s final Champions League group match, Mbappé scored his first two goals of the European campaign against Başakşehir, as PSG won 5–1 and qualified for the knockout phase as group winners.[97] He also became the youngest player in Champions League history to reach twenty goals (although this record would then be surpassed later on in the same season by Erling Haaland).[98][99]
On 16 February 2021, Mbappé became only the third player, after Faustino Asprilla and Andriy Shevchenko, to score a Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona, doing so in PSG’s 4–1 round of 16 win at the Camp Nou.[100] Mbappé’s hat-trick also saw him overtake Pauleta’s total of 109 goals to become PSG’s third-highest scorer, with only Cavani (200 goals) and Zlatan Ibrahimović (156 goals) getting more for the club.[101] On 27 February, Mbappé scored twice in a 4–0 away win against Dijon, becoming the first player to score five braces in the Ligue 1 season.[102] In the second leg against Barcelona on 10 March, Mbappé scored from the spot in a 1–1 draw at the Parc de Princes, as his side advanced to the quarter-finals 5–2 on aggregate.[103] Mbappé’s penalty was his 25th Champions League goal, surpassing opponent Lionel Messi as the youngest player to reach this milestone, aged twenty-two years and eighty days. Adding to his hat-trick from the first leg, Mbappé additionally became the first player to score four goals against Barcelona in a single Champions League season.[104]
In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich on 7 April, Mbappé scored two goals, helping his team to a 3–2 victory at the Allianz Arena, a first victory for PSG in Munich since 1994.[105] PSG later progressed to the semi-finals to be eventually eliminated by Manchester City, in which he missed the second leg due to a calf injury.[106] On 19 May, Mbappé scored once and assisted the second in the Coupe de France Final against his former club Monaco as PSG won 2–0 to claim their first major trophy of the season.[107] He ended the Ligue 1 campaign with 27 goals, to become the top scorer for the third consecutive season but PSG missed out on the league title – it was the first time in Mbappé’s career where he did not win Ligue 1 after four consecutive successes.[108][109] Mbappé ended the season with the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award and featured in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season.[110]
2021–22: Player of the Year and contract extension
On 14 August 2021, prior to Paris Saint-Germain’s opening home match of the 2021–22 season against Strasbourg, Mbappé was booed by the Parc des Princes amidst rumours that he wanted to sign for Spanish club Real Madrid.[111] The match ended in a 4–2 victory for the Parisians, with Mbappé setting up three of his team’s goals.[112] He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–2 away win against Brest six days later.[113] The following match against Reims on 29 August, in which Lionel Messi notably made his debut for PSG, ended in a 2–0 Rouge-et-Bleu victory thanks to two Mbappé goals.[114] On 24 November, Mbappé scored in a 2–1 Champions League defeat to Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium.[115] On 7 December, he scored two goals in a 4–1 Champions League home win over Club Brugge. The goals, which were his 30th and 31st in the Champions League, made him the youngest player to reach this milestone in the history of the competition.[116]
On 12 December 2021, Mbappé scored twice against Monaco in Ligue 1 to reach a century of league goals for PSG. At 22 years and 357 days old, he became the youngest player to score 100 goals for a single team in the French top-flight since Opta began recording data in the 1950–51 season.[117] On 3 January 2022, Mbappé scored his first hat-trick of the season in a 4–0 Coupe de France win over Vannes.[118] On 11 February, he scored the winning goal in stoppage time in a 1–0 league win over Rennes, a feat he repeated four days later in a 1–0 Champions League victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of the round of 16.[119][120] He scored another goal in the second leg, making him the second-highest goalscorer in Paris Saint-Germain’s history, but saw his team knocked out following a 3–1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.[121][122]
On 21 May 2022, Mbappé extended his contract with PSG until 2025,[123] despite speculations of a possible transfer to Real Madrid,[124] which prompted La Liga officials to file a complaint to UEFA regarding accumulating losses of PSG in the previous years.[125] Mbappé himself called and spoke to Real Madrid’s president Florentino Pérez, during which he told him that he would not be signing for Real Madrid.[126] According to Sky Sports, the financial details of Mbappé’s contract include a monthly wage of £4 million, making him the highest-paid player in the world.[127] Mbappé and PSG also reportedly secured a signing-on figure in the region of £100 million.[127] In the hours following Mbappé’s contract extension, he scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 win over Metz, to finish the season with 28 goals as top scorer for the fourth consecutive season.[128] He became the third player to finish as Ligue 1 top scorer four seasons in a row. Mbappé also provided 17 assists in the season, becoming the first player to finish as both top scorer and top assist provider in Ligue 1 history.[129][130]
2022–23: All-time PSG top goalscorer
On 13 August 2022, Mbappé scored his first goal of the season for PSG in a 5–2 home victory over Montpellier, after having missed a penalty earlier in the match.[131] Eight days later, he scored his first hat-trick of the season in a 7–1 away win over Lille.[132] His first goal in the match was clocked at eight seconds, making it the second-fastest goal ever scored in Ligue 1 history, tenths of seconds later than Michel Rio’s goal for Guingamp against Caen in 1992.[133] On 6 September, Mbappé scored a brace in PSG’s opening Champions League fixture against Juventus, securing a 2–1 home victory for the Parisians.[134] On 11 October, he scored a penalty in a 1–1 Champions League draw at home to Benfica, becoming the leading goalscorer for PSG in European competitions with 31 goals.[135] However, the match was played in the backdrop of media reports that Mbappé wanted to leave PSG in the January transfer window, rumours which he denied, saying, “I’m very happy. I never asked for my departure in January.”[136]
On 23 January 2023, Mbappé became the first PSG player to score five goals in a match, including a ten-minute hat-trick, in a 7–0 rout of Pays de Cassel in the Coupe de France round of 32.[137] On 26 February, Mbappé scored two goals and assisted another as PSG defeated Marseille 3–0 in Le Classique. He thus became the club’s joint all-time top goalscorer with 200 goals, equalling Edinson Cavani’s record.[138] In the following match, a 4–2 win over Nantes, Mbappé scored his 201st PSG goal, taking the throne as the club’s leading scorer.[139] He ended the Ligue 1 campaign with 29 goals, to become the top scorer for the fifth consecutive season as PSG won their record 11th Ligue 1 title.[140][141] Mbappé ended the season with the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award for the fourth consecutive season and featured in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season.[142][143]
2023–24: Departure rumours
On 13 June 2023, Mbappé, via an official statement released through Agence France-Presse, affirmed his decision not to renew his contract with PSG, which was set to expire in June 2024, a decision the club had been informed about since 15 July 2022.[144][145] In response to an article published by Le Parisien saying that he wanted to join Real Madrid in the upcoming summer window, Mbappé tweeted that the rumours were “lies”, reaffirming his intention to “continue at PSG next season, where [he is] very happy”.[146] However, during the unveiling of new manager Luis Enrique on 5 July 2023, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi clarified the club’s stance on Mbappé, stating that their “position is very clear” that “if [he] wants to stay […] he needs to sign a new contract”.[147] On 21 July, Mbappé was excluded from PSG’s preseason tour in Japan.[148][149][150] After much speculation surrounding his future at Paris Saint-Germain, a statement from the club on 13 August 2023 confirmed Mbappé’s reintegration into the first team training.[151] This followed “constructive and positive discussions” between the player and the club ahead of their match against Lorient.[152] Mbappé eventually made his first appearance of the 2023–24 season in a 1–1 draw away to Toulouse on 19 August, scoring his team’s only goal, PSG’s first of the season.
International career
2014–2018: Youth level and senior debut
Mbappé capped his debut senior season at Monaco by scoring five times for France as they won the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. His second-half brace in the 3–1 victory over Portugal in the semi-finals had helped his team reach the final.[30]
Mbappé was called up to the senior France squad for the first time to face Luxembourg and Spain in March 2017.[154] He made his debut on 25 March against the former side, coming on for Dimitri Payet in the 78th minute of a 3–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification away win.[32] In doing so, he became the second youngest player ever (only behind Maryan Wisniewski) to feature for France at eighteen years, three months and five days old.[155] On 31 August 2017, Mbappé scored his first senior international goal in a 2018 World Cup qualification match against the Netherlands.[156] He scored twice against Russia in a friendly in March 2018.[157]
2018–2021: FIFA World Cup triumph
On 17 May 2018, Mbappé was called up to the France squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[158] On 21 June 2018, he scored his first World Cup goal in France’s 1–0 group stage win over Peru. This made him the youngest French goalscorer in World Cup history at age 19.[159] On 30 June 2018, he was named man of the match in a 4–3 win over Argentina, scoring twice and suffering a foul in the box which resulted in Antoine Griezmann opening the score from a penalty kick.[160] Mbappé was the second teenager to score two goals in a World Cup match after Pelé in 1958.[161] In a post-match press conference, Mbappé stated: “It’s flattering to be the second one after Pelé but let’s put things into context – Pelé is in another category.”[162] On 15 July, Mbappé scored with a 25-yard strike against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup final, with France winning 4–2.[163] He became the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup final, and with four goals in the tournament he received the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award.[164] Pelé congratulated him on social media, and stated “welcome to the club”.[165]
On 11 June 2019, Mbappé scored his 100th career goal in a 4–0 away win over Andorra in Euro 2020 qualifying.[166][167] On 5 September 2020, Mbappé scored the only goal for France in a 1–0 UEFA Nations League win against Sweden. However, two days after the game, he tested positive for COVID-19.[168] He made his return to play for France in a 7–1 victory against Ukraine on 7 October 2020, scoring a goal.[169][170] One week later, he scored the match-winning goal in a 2–1 win against Croatia.[171] France topped their Nations League Group and qualified for the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals.[172]
UEFA Euro 2020 was postponed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[173] On 18 May 2021, Mbappé was called up for the France squad for UEFA Euro 2020, his second major international tournament.[174] On 15 June, Mbappè scored one goal and later assisted one, both of which were later deemed to be offside, in a group stage match against Germany. On 28 June, he provided the assist for Karim Benzema’s first goal in France’s match against Switzerland in the round of 16. After a 3–3 draw, the game went to a penalty shoot-out; Mbappé failed to score the decisive fifth penalty, and France were eliminated from the tournament.[175] Mbappé failed to score in any of the four games France played in the competition.[176]
2021–2023: Nations League title and second consecutive World Cup final
In the Nations League semi-final on 7 October 2021, Mbappé assisted Benzema and later scored a goal himself from the penalty spot to help France come from behind and defeat Belgium 3–2. This was Mbappé’s 50th appearance for Les Bleus at just twenty-two years and nine and a half months old.[177] In the final three days later, he once again set-up Benzema to tie the match and later scored the match-winning goal for France to clinch the title for the first time with a 2–1 victory over Spain.[178] With two goals and two assists in the Nations League Finals, Mbappé was awarded the competition’s Golden Boot, known as the “Alipay Top Scorer Trophy.”[179]
On 13 November, Mbappé scored his first goals in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers with four goals in an 8–0 win over Kazakhstan as France booked their place for the tournament finals.[180] Mbappé’s super hat-trick, which included a 32-minute first half hat-trick, was his first for his country and the first competitive hat-trick scored for France since Dominique Rocheteau in 1985.[181] Three days later, Mbappé scored and set up Benzema again in a 2–0 away win over Finland in France’s last World Cup qualifier, his fifth assist for Benzema in a row.[182][183]
France kicked off their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar against Australia on 22 November 2022. In the match, Mbappé was involved in three of France’s four goals in a 4–1 victory; he was in the build-up for the second goal, scored the third – a header from an Ousmane Dembélé cross, and assisted Olivier Giroud for the fourth goal.[184] Four days later, Mbappé scored both of France’s goals in a 2–1 victory over Denmark, securing qualification to the knockout stages and thus breaking the “World Cup Champions’ Curse”.[185] In the knockout round of sixteen against Poland, Mbappé scored two goals, the first into the roof of the net from 16 yards and the second a curling strike into the top corner, in a 3–1 win for France.[186]
After appearances in France’s wins against England and Morocco in the quarter and semi-finals, Mbappé became only the second player in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, scoring three goals against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final.[187] Argentina led 2–0 with just over ten minutes remaining before Mbappé scored twice in two minutes, the second from a volley after playing a one-two. In extra time, Argentina would take the lead again, from Mbappé’s PSG teammate Messi, before Mbappé again drew France level with a penalty to make it 3–3 four minutes from the end of extra time and the match went to a penalty shoot-out; Mbappé scored his penalty, but France lost the shoot-out.[188] He secured the tournament’s Golden Boot with eight goals, and became the sixth all-time top goalscorer in World Cup history with twelve goals, tied with Pelé.[189] Having scored a goal in the 2018 final, Mbappé also became the outright top goalscorer in World Cup finals, with four goals, and his hat-trick was the first in a men’s final since Geoff Hurst for England in 1966.[190][191]
2023–present: Assuming the captaincy
On 21 March 2023, following the international retirement of Hugo Lloris, manager Didier Deschamps named Mbappé the new captain of France ahead of their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.[192] Three days later, in his first match as captain, he led France to a 4–0 victory over the Netherlands, assisting Griezmann’s goal and scored a brace.[193] On 19 June, Mbappé scored a penalty in a 1–0 win over Greece, his fortieth goal for Les Bleus. On the night, he also became the youngest player to make seventy appearances for France.[194]
Player profile
Style of play
A versatile forward, Mbappé often plays as a winger, and is capable of playing on either flank, due to his ability with both feet.[195][196] He is capable of cutting into the centre onto his stronger right foot from the left wing, and of creating chances and providing assists for teammates from the right thanks to his vision.[197][198][199][200] He is also able to play in the centre as a main striker, due to his composure, clinical finishing, and eye for goal.[201][202][203][204]
A highly skilful player, Mbappé is known for his dribbling ability, as well as his explosive acceleration, agility, quick feet, first touch, link-up play and creativity when in possession of the ball, as demonstrated by his use of elaborate feints, such as step overs, or sudden changes of pace or direction to beat opponents in one on one situations.[205][206][207] At age 17, he had a lean frame but was gifted with physical strength and athleticism.[208] By age 22, he had physically developed into an elite goalscorer.[209] Mbappé is highly regarded for his pace and close ball control when dribbling at speed, as well as his movement, tactical intelligence, and ability to beat the defensive line by making attacking runs into space both on and off the ball.[197][206] His ability to time his runs enables him to stretch opposing defences, making him a dangerous offensive threat on counter-attacks.[197][206][210][211]
During the beginning of his career, Mbappé was compared to various greats in the history of football. He was described by Arsène Wenger as a “huge football talent” who “has similar qualities” to Thierry Henry.[212] His talent and precocious performances for France at the 2018 World Cup also led him to be compared to Pelé in the media.[213] Former France international Nicolas Anelka said that Mbappé’s ability to run at defences reminded him of Ronaldo of the 1996 Olympics and that Mbappé had the characteristics of a world-class player.[214]
Reception
Often regarded as the best player in the world since the decline of the Messi–Ronaldo dominance, Mbappé is generally viewed as one of the best, if not the best, player of his generation.[215][216][217] His individual and collective achievements, as well as his world class ability demonstrated at a young age, has drawn much appraisal. Former French international Rio Mavuba remarked that if Mbappé had won the 2022 World Cup “he’d probably be the best French player (ever)”, further saying “I love [Zinedine] Zidane but imagine, 23 years old, two World Cups, he’d be the best.”[218] During that World Cup, Fox Sports deemed Mbappé as already one of the “World Cup’s all-time greats” and the best player in the world.[219]
Mbappé was named the fastest player in the world in a ranking by French newspaper Le Figaro.[220] When Stefan de Vrij, central defender for Inter Milan and the Netherlands, was asked of his toughest opponent, he placed Mbappé ahead of anyone else, including Mbappé’s childhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo.[221] In 2018, Mbappé was considered the world’s most expensive player from a transfer value perspective by the CIES.[222] His performances for his club and national team have seen him shortlisted for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2019 and 2023.[223][224]
Personal life
Mbappé is a practising Christian.[225] In a 2018 interview with Time, Mbappé spoke about the sacrifices he made as a teenager to focus on his football development: “I did not have the moments of so-called normal people during adolescence, like going out with friends, enjoying good times.” But despite missing out on a “normal” life, Mbappé states he is “living the life he always dreamed of”.[226] Just over four years after making his professional debut, he had over 50 million followers on Instagram.[226] As of 2023, he has over 100 million followers on Instagram.[227] While he admits his “life has been totally turned upside down” since he first entered the spotlight, he says he is “happy”.[226] Mbappé speaks French, English, and Spanish.[228]
Outside football
Media and sponsorship
Mbappé has a sponsorship deal with sportswear and equipment supplier Nike. In 2017, Nike launched his own personalised football boots at age 18, the Kylian Mbappé Nike Hypervenom 3.[229] In 2018, he unveiled the Nike Mercurial Superfly VI boots which were inspired by the R9 Mercurial boots of former Brazilian striker Ronaldo.[230] In 2018, Swiss watchmaker Hublot signed Mbappé as a global ambassador.[231]
Mbappé features in EA Sports’ FIFA video game series: on FIFA 18 he had the highest potential rating of 94.[232] His trademark goal celebration – posing with his arms folded and hands tucked under his armpits – was inspired by his younger brother Ethan who would celebrate in this manner when beating Kylian at FIFA.[233][234] The celebration appears in FIFA 19.[235] Mbappé features as the cover star of FIFA 21, making him the youngest to appear on the cover solo.[236] In 2023 he was among Time‘s 100 most influential people in the world.[237] He was ranked third in the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes in 2023.[238]
Philanthropy
On 22 February 2018, Mbappé was joined by two of Africa’s greatest strikers, former AC Milan forward and current Liberia President George Weah, and former Chelsea and Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba, in a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the Élysée Palace in Paris that focused on a sports development project in Africa.[239] Mbappé stated that the development of African sport is important to him due to his parents’ African origins.[240]
On 28 January 2019, Mbappé donated $34,000 (around £26,000) to a crowdfunding campaign to finance a private search mission to find football player Emiliano Sala, whose light aircraft had gone missing over the English Channel a week earlier.[241] Later, on 10 February 2019, Mbappé donated a further £27,000 to the GoFundMe campaign created to fund the search for the plane’s still-missing pilot, David Ibbotson.[242]
On 19 November 2021, Mbappé and Chinese diving gold medalist in the 2020 Summer Olympics Zhang Jiaqi became godfather and godmother respectively to two baby pandas at Beauval Zoo, as part of the campaign to create publicity and awareness for the species.[243]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 19 August 2023[32]
| Club | Season | League | Coupe de France | Coupe de la Ligue | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Monaco II | 2015–16 | CFA | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | ||||
| 2016–17 | CFA | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 12 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 4 | ||||||
| Monaco | 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | |
| 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9[b] | 6 | — | 44 | 26 | ||
| 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 41 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 27 | ||
| Paris Saint-Germain (loan) | 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 27 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8[b] | 4 | — | 44 | 21 | |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 33 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8[b] | 4 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 39 |
| 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10[b] | 5 | 1[c] | 1 | 37 | 30 | |
| 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 27 | 5 | 7 | — | 10[b] | 8 | 1[c] | 0 | 47 | 42 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 35 | 28 | 3 | 5 | — | 8[b] | 6 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 39 | ||
| 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 29 | 1 | 5 | — | 8[b] | 7 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 41 | ||
| 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total | 177 | 149 | 21 | 27 | 9 | 2 | 52 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 261 | 213 | ||
| Career total | 230 | 169 | 25 | 29 | 13 | 5 | 62 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 333 | 244 | ||
- ^ Appearance in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Appearance in Trophée des Champions
International
- As of match played 19 June 2023[244]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2017 | 10 | 1 |
| 2018 | 18 | 9 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 14 | 8 | |
| 2022 | 13 | 12 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | |
| Total | 70 | 40 | |
- As of match played 19 June 2023
- France score listed first, score column indicates score after each Mbappé goal[244]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 August 2017 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 5 |  Netherlands | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | [245] |
| 2 | 27 March 2018 | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia | 12 |  Russia | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly | [246] |
| 3 | 3–1 | |||||||
| 4 | 9 June 2018 | Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu, France | 15 |  United States | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | [247] |
| 5 | 21 June 2018 | Ekaterinburg Arena, Yekaterinburg, Russia | 17 |  Peru | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup | [248] |
| 6 | 30 June 2018 | Kazan Arena, Kazan, Russia | 19 |  Argentina | 3–2 | 4–3 | 2018 FIFA World Cup | [249] |
| 7 | 4–2 | |||||||
| 8 | 15 July 2018 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia | 22 |  Croatia | 4–1 | 4–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup | [250] |
| 9 | 9 September 2018 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 24 | Netherlands | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A | [251] |
| 10 | 11 October 2018 | Stade de Roudourou, Guingamp, France | 25 |  Iceland | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly | [252] |
| 11 | 22 March 2019 | Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova | 29 |  Moldova | 4–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | [253] |
| 12 | 25 March 2019 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 30 | Iceland | 3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | [254] |
| 13 | 11 June 2019 | Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella, Andorra | 33 |  Andorra | 1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | [255] |
| 14 | 5 September 2020 | Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden | 35 |  Sweden | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A | [256] |
| 15 | 7 October 2020 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 36 |  Ukraine | 6–1 | 7–1 | Friendly | [257] |
| 16 | 14 October 2020 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia | 38 | Croatia | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A | [258] |
| 17 | 2 June 2021 | Allianz Riviera, Nice, France | 43 |  Wales | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | [259] |
| 18 | 7 October 2021 | Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy | 50 |  Belgium | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals | [260] |
| 19 | 10 October 2021 | San Siro, Milan, Italy | 51 |  Spain | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals | [261] |
| 20 | 13 November 2021 | Parc des Princes, Paris, France | 52 |  Kazakhstan | 1–0 | 8–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [262] |
| 21 | 2–0 | |||||||
| 22 | 3–0 | |||||||
| 23 | 8–0 | |||||||
| 24 | 16 November 2021 | Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | 53 |  Finland | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [263] |
| 25 | 29 March 2022 | Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France | 54 |  South Africa | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly | [264] |
| 26 | 3–0 | |||||||
| 27 | 10 June 2022 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria | 56 |  Austria | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A | [265] |
| 28 | 22 September 2022 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 58 | Austria | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A | [266] |
| 29 | 22 November 2022 | Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar | 60 |  Australia | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup | [267] |
| 30 | 26 November 2022 | Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar | 61 |  Denmark | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup | [268] |
| 31 | 2–1 | |||||||
| 32 | 4 December 2022 | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar | 63 |  Poland | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup | [269] |
| 33 | 3–0 | |||||||
| 34 | 18 December 2022 | Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | 66 | Argentina | 1–2 | 3–3 (a.e.t.), (2–4 p) | 2022 FIFA World Cup | [270] |
| 35 | 2–2 | |||||||
| 36 | 3–3 | |||||||
| 37 | 24 March 2023 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 67 | Netherlands | 3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | [271] |
| 38 | 4–0 | |||||||
| 39 | 16 June 2023 | Estádio Algarve, Almancil, Portugal | 69 |  Gibraltar | 2–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | [272] |
| 40 | 19 June 2023 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 70 |  Greece | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | [273] |
Honours
Monaco
- Ligue 1: 2016–17[32]
- Coupe de la Ligue runner-up: 2016–17[274]
Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2017–18,[275] 2018–19,[276] 2019–20,[277] 2021–22,[278] 2022–23[279]
- Coupe de France: 2017–18,[280] 2019–20,[281] 2020–21;[282] runner-up: 2018–19[283]
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2017–18,[284] 2019–20[285]
- Trophée des Champions: 2019,[80] 2020[286]
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2019–20[91]
France U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2016[287]
France
- FIFA World Cup: 2018;[288] runner-up: 2022[289]
- UEFA Nations League: 2020–21[290]
Individual
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2016[291]
- Ligue 1 Player of the Year: 2018–19,[79] 2020–21,[292] 2021–22,[293] 2022–23[142]
- Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year: 2016–17,[294] 2017–18,[295] 2018–19[79]
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2016–17,[296] 2017–18,[297] 2018–19,[79] 2020–21,[298] 2021–22,[293] 2022–23[143]
- UNFP Player of the Month: April 2017,[299] March 2018,[300] August 2018,[301] February 2019,[302] February 2021,[303] August 2021,[304] February 2022,[305] November/December 2022,[306] February 2023[307]
- UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2016–17,[308] 2019–20,[309] 2020–21,[310] 2021–22[311]
- FIFA FIFPRO World 11: 2018,[312] 2019,[313] 2022[314]
- Golden Boy: 2017[315]
- FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 2022[316]
- FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 2022[317]
- FIFA World Cup Young Player Award: 2018[318]
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2018[319]
- Kopa Trophy: 2018[320]
- IFFHS Men’s World Team: 2018,[321] 2021,[322] 2022[323]
- IFFHS World’s Best Top Goal Scorer: 2022[324]
- French Player of the Year: 2018,[325] 2019,[326] 2022[327]
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2018[328]
- Ligue 1 top goalscorer: 2018–19,[78] 2019–20,[86] 2020–21,[329] 2021–22,[330] 2022–23[140]
- Ligue 1 top assist provider: 2021–22
- Globe Soccer Best Player of the Year: 2021[331]
- Onze de Bronze: 2019[332]
- UEFA Nations League Finals Golden Boot: 2021[179]
Orders
- Knight of the Legion of Honour: 2018
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