Mbappé – A boy from humble beginnings 

A boy from humble beginnings

Unnervingly, Mbappé was not even born when France last won their last World Cup without him in 1998.

Born to a Cameroonian father and Algerian mother, Mbappé is the product of immigration and grew up in the banlieues of Bondy, a small suburban commune located just six miles from the Parisian city centre.

Despite its proximity to the city centre, Bondy bears little resemblance to the grandeur and affluence of the Champs-Élysées.

It is part of the infamous Seine St Denis 93rd arrondissement – one of the France’s poorest neighbourhoods which over the years has earned a reputation for sky-high crime rates and violence. But football provides a select few talented and hardworking youngsters  from the ’93’ a source of hope.

And it just so happened that Mbappé’s father Wilfried was a coach at local club AS Bondy, a team in the 10th tier of French football.

Knowing the opportunity that lay ahead of his son, Wilfried strapped a pair of football boots onto Kylian’s feet at age five and took him to his first training session.

A young Kylian Mbappé is pictured with Portuguese mega-star Cristiano Ronaldo in 2014 

This undated photo shows French footballing legend Thierry Henry with a young Mbappé

Fourteen year old Kylian Mbappé at home in his bedroom in Bondy, a suburb of Paris, adorned with photos of Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappé of France and Paris Saint-Germain wins the Kopa Trophy for best young player at the Ballon D’Or ceremony at Le Grand Palais on December 3, 2018 in Paris, France