It was 1998, on July 12, a date that France has very present in the history of sport in its country: the national team was crowned champion for the first time in its history and also as a home team, winning 3 goals to 0 against Brazil. In that Cup, the Englishman Michael Owen was recognized as Best Young Player and the historic Ronaldo was awarded the Golden Ball.
Five months and 8 days later, on December 20, a young boy was born. This boy would put the world’s football in competition for his services: Kylian Mbappé, a child who would soon be the successor of a generation in which not only Lionel Messi shone, but also the greatest of his idols: Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kylian Mbappé, the boy who looked up to Cristiano
Bondy, a French town in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, saw the birth of Kylian Mbappé, a young man who began to dazzle as a child when his feet touched a ball. Skilled as he was, he started playing soccer for the local team, the Bondy, once coached by his father, Wilfried Mbappé.
That little boy who admired Cristiano Ronaldo so much and dreamed of one day sharing the field with him, had posters of the Portuguese idol taped up in his room because he knew that the opportunity to simulate what the star had done was latent.
After demonstrating that he had a talent that surpassed that of his teammates, he tried out for the Clairefontaine Academy, a place dedicated to projecting the careers of talented young footballers in France. Its graduates? Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka, Blaise Matuidi. It was 2015, and at 16 years old, the life of a teenager Kylian was about to change.
Monaco, the French National Team, and Arsenal
You are old, but… this old? 2015 would have great music releases that ended up marking that year in different ways. From DJ Snake with “Lean On,” Wiz Khalifa with “See You Again,” Adele with “Hello,” and Alabama Shakes with “Don’t wanna fight,” was part of a year that was not only marked with a fluorescent marker pen by these singles, but also by the debut of one of the most quoted players in recent years.
Kylian Mbappé made his debut on December 2 at Monaco, replacing Fabio Coentrao in the 88′ minutes. At 16 years of age, the still teenager was already part of one of the most mediatic teams in Ligue 1, and two years later, he was called up to the French National Team, just when he turned 18.
Back then, Arsene Wegner, former Arsenal manager, tried to sign him with the English team. “I was at his home last year to try to bring him in. He was at the end of his contract and Monaco managed to keep him, the decision was very difficult. I could understand that in the end, he decided to stay because he was brought up there,” Arsene said.
Cristiano’s admirer, admired by Cristiano
After his overwhelming performance at Russia 2018, where Kylian was crowned world champion with France’s national team, which reached its second title in the history of World Cups, the boy who admired Cristiano Ronaldo gained one more admirer: Cristiano Ronaldo himself.
Speaking about the new generation of players, those to whom he, Messi, and several others will hand over the trophies as the best in the world, Cristiano revealed that “it is difficult to pick just one player to say that will be the best, but it is exciting to see this new generation of youngsters like Haaland and Mbappé”. The Portuguese idol was absolutely right, Kylian Mbappé still has a long way to go, and, who knows, he may lead France to win another Cup in Qatar 2022.
Story originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva News
