What do you think?
Rate this book
Kylian Mbappe: The Definitive Biography of the World Cup Star
'Only the second teenager to have scored a goal in a World Cup Final! Welcome to the club - it's great to have some company!'
- Pelé
This was the praise lauded upon Kylian Mbappé who, at just 19 years of age, led France to triumph at the 2018 World Cup. As golden confetti rained down, millions across the globe watched as the young man kissed the iconic trophy; the heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best footballer in the world had announced himself. It was his crowning moment.
In Kylian Mbappé: The Definitive Biography, Julien Laurens, the world's leading French football journalist, paints a vivid portrait of Mbappé's meteoric rise to global stardom. After a decade covering Kylian's career, Julien has had unprecedented access to the player, his inner circle, his coaches, teammates and family. Exploring Mbappé's humble upbringing in the suburbs of Paris and schooling at the famed Clairefontaine academy, his peerless rise with AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as his dream move to Real Madrid where his career has reached new heights, this extensive biography crafts an intimate account of Kylian's life.
Julien takes us into the inner workings of Mbappé's psyche, as we witness how becoming a world superstar at just 19 affected the young Parisian. From the complex relationship he had with his boyhood club and its hierarchy to valiantly losing against Lionel Messi's Argentina in the 2022 World Cup Final, and becoming the new face of Real Madrid's galácticos, Julien shows us how the Mbappé that is poised to star at the 2026 World Cup is unrecognisable from the one who won it with France in 2018.
This was the praise lauded upon Kylian Mbappé who, at just 19 years of age, led France to triumph at the 2018 World Cup. As golden confetti rained down, millions across the globe watched as the young man kissed the iconic trophy; the heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best footballer in the world had announced himself. It was his crowning moment.
In Kylian Mbappé: The Definitive Biography, Julien Laurens, the world's leading French football journalist, paints a vivid portrait of Mbappé's meteoric rise to global stardom. After a decade covering Kylian's career, Julien has had unprecedented access to the player, his inner circle, his coaches, teammates and family. Exploring Mbappé's humble upbringing in the suburbs of Paris and schooling at the famed Clairefontaine academy, his peerless rise with AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as his dream move to Real Madrid where his career has reached new heights, this extensive biography crafts an intimate account of Kylian's life.
Julien takes us into the inner workings of Mbappé's psyche, as we witness how becoming a world superstar at just 19 affected the young Parisian. From the complex relationship he had with his boyhood club and its hierarchy to valiantly losing against Lionel Messi's Argentina in the 2022 World Cup Final, and becoming the new face of Real Madrid's galácticos, Julien shows us how the Mbappé that is poised to star at the 2026 World Cup is unrecognisable from the one who won it with France in 2018.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 28, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 20, 2026
Leest makkelijk weg en ook interessant om z’n carrière tot nu toe op deze manier wat gedetailleerder te lezen. Tip is om af en toe een samenvatting van bepaalde wedstrijden weer eens er bij te pakken, dan heb je er ook wat meer een beeld bij zodra er wat dieper wordt in gegaan op bepaalde belangrijke wedstrijden uit zijn carrière. Wel moet ik zeggen dat ik misschien ook wat meer over hem te weten had willen komen buiten voetbal om, dat kwam nu alleen in het laatste hoofdstuk een klein beetje naar voren.
August 3, 2026
As a football fan, I absolutely loved diving into the journey behind the superstar. The book takes you right back to his early days in Bondy, where a young Mbappé was already standing out not just for his pace and skill, but for his obsession with the game and his belief that he belonged at the very top. From there, his time at Clairefontaine is brought to life in vivid detail, showing the discipline, structure, and intense training environment that helped shape his raw talent into something world-class. I especially enjoyed the sections on his breakthrough at AS Monaco, where his fearless performances in Ligue 1 and the Champions League announced him to the world in unforgettable fashion.
Julien Laurens does an incredible job of going beyond the headlines, offering rare insight into Mbappé’s mindset and the people who shaped him along the way. The access to his family, coaches, teammates, and inner circle makes everything feel authentic and deeply personal. It’s fascinating to see how his upbringing, values, and environment all contributed to building not just a gifted player, but a remarkably focused and mature athlete. Of course, the book also captures the defining moment of his career so far, his World Cup triumph in 2018, where he didn’t just participate, but truly announced himself on the global stage as a generational talent.
What stood out most to me is the consistency of his mentality throughout every stage of his journey. The biography really reinforces the idea that greatness is never accidental. It is the result of relentless hard work, discipline, self-belief, sacrifice, and the courage to dream on a scale that others might not even dare to imagine. Whether you are a football lover, a FIFA addict like me, or someone chasing an impossible dream, this book is both inspiring and eye-opening in equal measure.
Julien Laurens does an incredible job of going beyond the headlines, offering rare insight into Mbappé’s mindset and the people who shaped him along the way. The access to his family, coaches, teammates, and inner circle makes everything feel authentic and deeply personal. It’s fascinating to see how his upbringing, values, and environment all contributed to building not just a gifted player, but a remarkably focused and mature athlete. Of course, the book also captures the defining moment of his career so far, his World Cup triumph in 2018, where he didn’t just participate, but truly announced himself on the global stage as a generational talent.
What stood out most to me is the consistency of his mentality throughout every stage of his journey. The biography really reinforces the idea that greatness is never accidental. It is the result of relentless hard work, discipline, self-belief, sacrifice, and the courage to dream on a scale that others might not even dare to imagine. Whether you are a football lover, a FIFA addict like me, or someone chasing an impossible dream, this book is both inspiring and eye-opening in equal measure.
July 19, 2026
I'm not a soccer person, but the author did pen this in a digestible/juvenile enough way for me understand Mbappe's career highlights. It's almost unfortunate that it was published at the time that it was, given that it sort of ended on a low note of sorts, like a slump? Not that the author could help that, for the most part. I thought that the style of writing could come across as a bit fan-fiction-y at times. Though, if you're a Mbappe fan, you will learn a lot about his life in this book, and on that premise I recommend it to such fans. I certainly now have gained a lot of random information I can throw into conversation to surprise people with my sudden football knowledge.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews