Kylian Mbappé: From Bondy to Bernabéu - A Football Prodigy's Rise.

Kylian Mbappé Lottin born 20 December 1998 is a French professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the French nationals team. Widely known for his dribbling, speed, and finishing in football.

Born in Paris and raised in nearby Bondy, Mbappé began his senior club career in 2015 with Monaco, where he won the ligue 1 title in 2016-17 season . 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 the most expensive teenage player of all time. With PSG, he won six Ligue 1 titles and four Coupes de France, including a domestic quadruple in the 2019-20 season, while also leading the club to its first ever UEFA Champions League  final in 2020. He is the club’s all-time top goalscorer, ranks third in assists, and is the 7^th highest goalscorer in Ligue 1 history.

At international level, Mbappé made his senior deduct for France in 2017, at age of 18. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Mbappé became the youngest French player to score at a World Cup, as well as the second teenager, after Pele, to score in a World Cup final. He finished as the joint second-highest goalscorer as France won the tournament; he went on to win the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player and French Player of the Year awards for his performances. He also helped France to victory in the UEFA Nations League in 2021, receiving the top scorer award in the finals. At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, France reached the final again; Mbappé won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball and set the record for the most goals scored in World Cup final matches by scoring a hat-trick. Mbappé is one of only two players to have scored in two consecutive World Cup finals ( the other being Brazil’s Vava in 1958 and 1962).

Mbappé finished in the third place for the 2023 Ballon d’Or and was runner-up for the 2022 The Best FIFA Men’s Player award. He was named to the FIFA FIFPro World11 in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023, the UEFA Team of The Year in 2018 and the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season in 2016-17, 2019-20, 2020-21.  He was awarded the Golden Boy in 2017, the Kopa Trophy in 2018, and was shortlisted for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2019 and 2023. Mbappé has been named Ligue 1 Player of the Year a record five times, and has finished as the Ligue 1 top scorer for a record six seasons; in the 2021-22, 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.

French football star Kylian Mbappé  was officially  unveiled as a Real Madrid’s latest signing on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, where he told his fans “my dreams has come true”.

Mbappé completed a long-awaited free transfer from Paris Saint-German (PSG) to Real Madrid earlier this summer and, following his return from Euro 2024.

“I’ve slept for many years with the dream of playing for playing for Real Madrid and today my dream has come true” Mbappé told his 80,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium where he was given a glorious unveiling in front of 80,000 Real Madrid fans and their 15 Champions League trophies.

The French superstar beamed as he spoke about joining the ‘club of his dreams’. The striker, who completed his medical earlier on Tuesday morning signed a 5-year contract and was handed a number 9 shirt by the Real Madrid club President Florentino Peréz. Mbappé will take the number nine shirt after sealing his move from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and ending one of football’s most prolonged transfer sagas.

The striker was hummed as the Bernabéu blasted out their iconic Hala Madrid anthem and paraded in front of fans booting footballs into the roaring crowd.

Imitating Cristiano Ronaldo at his unveiling, he kissed the badge of the reigning Spanish and European Champions. Mbappé was emotional as his fans chanted his name.

His mother broke down in tears as he emerged and spoke of his pride to be joining the “biggest football club in the history of football”.