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The Mbappé Project: Making a Football Superstar
As the two dominant talents of 21st century football, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, near the end of their careers, one man is set to take their place at the very top of the game. This man is the captain of France's national team, Kylian Mbappé. A world champion at the age of nineteen in Russia, the World Cup's Golden Boot four years later in Qatar, the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966, the winner of twelve major honours with Paris Saint-Germain. Mbappé is still only 26 and he wears the shirt of Real Madrid.
At its core this book tells the ascent of a child of immigrants who rose to become the world's best player. But Mbappé's story is far more - his ascent was planned from the beginning, in a way no other sports career had been orchestrated before.
Kylian Mbappé's trajectory was mapped out from a very early age by his family, with the player's full consent. For Ronaldo and Messi, the brand was developed as a consequence of their exceptional achievements on the field of play. For Mbappé, the plan was in place before he'd played a minute of football with his first professional club, AS Monaco.
He was only six years old when Nike knocked on his parents' door and gave him his first sponsorship contract. He was sent to private school and given one-to-one tuition in Spanish so that he could interact with the local media as and when he signed for Real Madrid. His name was trademarked worldwide before he'd won his first cap for France. Every move, every decision was calculated from the outset.
Yes, Mbappé is a generational talent, and an exceptionally smart individual who looks as much at ease at the Elysée palace as on the pitch. But what truly sets him apart is that he is not just a he is a project. This book tells the story of that project for the first time.
At its core this book tells the ascent of a child of immigrants who rose to become the world's best player. But Mbappé's story is far more - his ascent was planned from the beginning, in a way no other sports career had been orchestrated before.
Kylian Mbappé's trajectory was mapped out from a very early age by his family, with the player's full consent. For Ronaldo and Messi, the brand was developed as a consequence of their exceptional achievements on the field of play. For Mbappé, the plan was in place before he'd played a minute of football with his first professional club, AS Monaco.
He was only six years old when Nike knocked on his parents' door and gave him his first sponsorship contract. He was sent to private school and given one-to-one tuition in Spanish so that he could interact with the local media as and when he signed for Real Madrid. His name was trademarked worldwide before he'd won his first cap for France. Every move, every decision was calculated from the outset.
Yes, Mbappé is a generational talent, and an exceptionally smart individual who looks as much at ease at the Elysée palace as on the pitch. But what truly sets him apart is that he is not just a he is a project. This book tells the story of that project for the first time.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2026
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 27, 2026
As someone who isn’t a football fanatic and have only recently got into football myself even I have heard of Kylian Mbappé. The first time I watched him play he was 19 and playing for France in the World Cup in Russia in 2018 and with little knowledge or understanding of the game at the time even I recognised the brilliance this man had.
This book was a great introduction to who Mbappé is, not only as the man but the brand. This book highlights the importance of his mothers support and how she has truly done the best she could in raising him to be the man he is to date. Every decision made has been to secure his future but also pay back into the footballing community and back into his country. Mbappé’s life has been calculated and planned out every step of the way. His parents made sure that he wasn’t a one trick pony and only knew how to play football, but if needed to man could play the flute. Mbappé values his role in the community and has made strides to stand up in what he believes in, not wanting to advertise for Coco Cola and Uber Eats just because that’s what every other player is doing. The book highlighted the darker side of football and how PSG seemed to turn on Mbappé as soon as his contract was up and he had bigger dreams and goals outside of what the club could offer and wanted to move to Real Madrid, from withholding money due to allegedly setting him up in Stockholm. Mbappé has remained cool, calm and collected under pressure and has continued to play the game the way it was supposed to, with honesty and integrity.
Unfortunately the author was unable to get Mbappé’s direct input or comment in this book and I think it definitely shows, as it lacks a certain personal element that biography’s have when the subject is involved in the story telling.
I also think that if you’re a super fan of Mbappé or you have followed his career closely or done your own research on how he came to be where he is then you’ll likely not learn a lot from the book.
This book was a great introduction to who Mbappé is, not only as the man but the brand. This book highlights the importance of his mothers support and how she has truly done the best she could in raising him to be the man he is to date. Every decision made has been to secure his future but also pay back into the footballing community and back into his country. Mbappé’s life has been calculated and planned out every step of the way. His parents made sure that he wasn’t a one trick pony and only knew how to play football, but if needed to man could play the flute. Mbappé values his role in the community and has made strides to stand up in what he believes in, not wanting to advertise for Coco Cola and Uber Eats just because that’s what every other player is doing. The book highlighted the darker side of football and how PSG seemed to turn on Mbappé as soon as his contract was up and he had bigger dreams and goals outside of what the club could offer and wanted to move to Real Madrid, from withholding money due to allegedly setting him up in Stockholm. Mbappé has remained cool, calm and collected under pressure and has continued to play the game the way it was supposed to, with honesty and integrity.
Unfortunately the author was unable to get Mbappé’s direct input or comment in this book and I think it definitely shows, as it lacks a certain personal element that biography’s have when the subject is involved in the story telling.
I also think that if you’re a super fan of Mbappé or you have followed his career closely or done your own research on how he came to be where he is then you’ll likely not learn a lot from the book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review