TOWER BLOCK KID WHO DINED AT THE ELYSEE
Diego Maradona calls him ‘the revelation of soccer’, arsene Wenger says he is the ‘new Pele’ and he has already been invited to dine at the elysee Palace with French President emmanuel Macron.
in the quarter-finals of the World Cup against argentina, France forward Kylian Mbappe became the first teenager since Brazil’s Pele in 1958 to score at least twice in a game at the tournament.
He is scaling the heights and could become a World Cup winner at the age of 19 if France defeat Croatia in Moscow tomorrow.
Mbappe was not even born when France last won the World Cup in 1998 but he shares common traits with many of that side’s players, such as Marcel desailly, Patrick Vieira and Zinedine Zidane, who charmed and unified a nation 20 years ago.
Born to a father from Cameroon and an algerian mother, Mbappe is the product of immigration.
He grew up amid the 1960s tower blocks of Bondy, an area on the outskirts of Paris. it is only a short drive from the city centre but has little in common with the affluence of the Champselysee and is scorned by certain parts of French society. But, in football, many of the young men who live there find cause for hope.
Mbappe’s father Wilfried was a coach at local club aS Bondy — in the tenth tier of French football — for over 20 years and Mbappe began there at the age of five.
in Bondy, Mbappe is now the poster-boy. His face adorns a giant billboard on one of the concrete blocks, accompanied by the slogan: ‘Bondy, ville des possibles’ (The town where anything is possible).
His first coach antonio riccardi said: ‘i recall him saying: “i’m going to play for France and win the World Cup. We laughed because he was only six years old”.’
However, Mbappe’s qualities are immediately clear. He has the pace of a young Michael owen, the stepovers of a teenage Cristiano ronaldo and a cool-headedness in front of goal likened to Lionel Messi. as he developed, interest came from home and abroad.
as an 11-year-old, Mbappe was invited to Chelsea for a trial. He had a week there, spending time with didier drogba. arsene Wenger met him for talks last summer while the player himself says he said ‘no’ to Manchester City.
Manchester United scouted him in his mid-teenage years but then old Trafford boss Louis van gaal could not be persuaded. There was a snub, too, for real Madrid, despite training with the Spanish club and meeting Zidane and Cristiano ronaldo (below).
He had two years at Clairefontaine before joining Monaco aged 14, viewing them as the most likely place to get opportunities.
He made his debut for them on december 2, 2015, breaking Thierry Henry’s record to become the club’s youngest player at 16 years and 347 days.
He dismantled French defences, scoring 26 goals in his first full season as Monaco won the French title. He moved to Paris Saint-germain last summer in a £166million transfer. Some questioned him, wondering whether the financial prospects of PSg were a smarter move than going to real Madrid or the english Premier League.
Yet those who know him insist he is grounded. President Macron had him and drogba for lunch at the elysee with Liberian President and ex-World Player of the Year george Weah this year. They discussed the development of football in africa and observers reflected on how the 19-year-old belied his age with the maturity of his observations.
Macron has since tipped Mbappe to achieve ‘beautiful things’ when he finishes his career. He has donated his £17,000 international match fees to a charity for disabled children and, last month, financed a trip to russia for children from his local school.
‘You never think you’re speaking to a teenager when you speak to him,’ said Wenger. ‘He could be the next Pele. He has no limits.’