FUNKO POP! FOOTBALL: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

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A World Cup winner with France, Mbappe could easily have chosen to play for Cameroon or Algeria. His mother’s roots are Algerian and his father is from Cameroon. I saw that I could maybe get this title of the top goalscorer in Europe. … But, facing off against me, was Messi. I would score twice on a weekend, he would go and score three; I would score three, he would score four!" In fact, the whole family are athletes, Mbappé’s adopted brother, Jirès Kembo-Ekoko, is a professional footballer too who's played with Rennes and is currently in Turkey with Bursapor. During France's 3-1 last-16 win over Poland, his top speed was recorded at 35.3 km/h and before Sunday's game, only six players had recorded faster sprints at this year's World Cup. His strike in the 4-2 win over Croatia made him the second teenager to score in a World Cup final, after Brazil legend Pele in 1958.

Mbappe, who was born on the outskirts of Paris and started out at his local team AS Bondy, made his first-team debut for Monaco in December 2015. Mbappé reportedly said that he felt he should not be paid to represent France, so he donated the roughly 400,000 euros he made over the course of the tournament to a children’s charity called PremiersdeCordée. He earned an estimated 20,000 euros per game and a300,000 euro bonus for winning the tournament. The place he made the donation to, Premiers de Cordée, pushes sports programs for hospitalised children, and promotes disability awareness in schools and businesses. Mbappé began this collaboration with the organisation in 2017 and has played soccer with some of the children supported by the charity.However, he has not ruled out a move to the Spanish and European champions in the future, telling the BBC in May his Real Madrid dream was "never over". 7. A humble global star

Mbappé has been linked with a move to Madrid for several months despite the Spanish club suffering an estimated €300m in losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. But in their accounts for last season published in July, Real said: “Current forecasts suggest that recovery to the pre-pandemic situation will not be immediate. Therefore, the club will continue with the cost-containment efforts it has made so far.” Mbappé has already indicated that he would like to move to La Liga having turned down more than three different proposals from PSG to extend his deal over recent months. It is understood that Madrid have offered him a six-year contract, with the 22-year-old keen to leave the Parc des Princes despite the arrival of Lionel Messi, who is expected to make his PSG debut this weekend at Reims. Here are some fun facts about France and PSG's megastar. Kylian Mbappe profile Born: December 20, 1998 Age: 22 Position: Striker Club: Paris St. Germain (PSG) Country: France 1. "It's not bad, Messi is watching me" Nike Vapors were the first football boots he wore. They were so coveted, he said, some teammates would even ask if they could borrow them to wear for the first half of the game! He declined. The 20-year-old Paris Saint-German striker became an international sensation after his stunning performance during the 2018 World Cup. He became one of France’s most adored citizens as kids cheered “Mbappé for president,” and social media users tweeted “Liberté, Égalité, Mbappé.”Here’s what you should know about France’s new favourite soccer player.

8. Mbappe's big heart

In the game, he scored twice, including an amazing goal in which he curled the ball into the top corner from outside the penalty area. The key to PSG’s victory over the defending champions was Kylian Mbappe’s tactical adaptability, demonstrating his skill in many roles and areas. Mbappe was just 19 when he played a key role in France's run to glory at Russia 2018, scoring four goals along the way. Kylian Mbappe – By By Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70888319

Kylian Mbappé feels like leaving, this seems clear to me,” said Leonardo on Wednesday. “Our goal is to extend and keep him. If a player wants to leave it must be under our terms. This applies not just to Kylian but to all players. It seems like a strategy to get a no from us, to show they’ve tried everything and to wait to get Kylian for free.” Mbappe who was The PSG number 7 was very close to joining Chelsea in 2012. He gave a trial for the club but they were not convinced enough and wanted another one. It's true he has similar qualities," Wenger told The Ligue 1 show. "He could be another Thierry Henry."

6. Kylian Mbappe could have chosen Algeria or the Cameroon

While traditionalists will balk at a player wielding such political power, Mbappé’s new status represents an interesting footballing experiment. Although concessions made to Mbappé were primarily borne out of desperation, as PSG feared the loss of perhaps the world’s best player to a major rival for free, player power of this sort could make sense for modern football, under the right circumstances. Marked out as a child prodigy since he was six, and making his Monaco debut at 16, Mbappe was already a World Cup winner at 19, joining Brazilian legend Pele as the only other player to win it as a teenager. For now, his change of heart is a major political triumph for PSG, and especially the club’s Qatari owners. For the world’s leading player – albeit a local already playing for them – to reject a move to Spain, despite Real Madrid reportedly making a comparable, perhaps even slightly better, financial offer, shows the standing PSG now enjoy. They will argue it represents tangible proof that PSG are becoming one of the world’s major sporting brands, a stated aim when they acquired the club a decade ago.