‘It would be ingratitude to complain’ – Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe reflects on his life as an ‘International Celebrity’
Life under a magnifying glass
As the world’s most famous footballer, and captain of his country, Kylian Mbappe is a figure under a level of scrutiny few can even imagine. Here, we find out what it’s like to live the life of an ‘international celebrity’ from the forward’s own perspective – a life which, he says, has compromised his privacy, but he is keen not to focus on the negatives.
Mbappe’s progression from Monaco teen sensation to global advertising icon has been a meteoric rise. Living a life in which his daily activities of, say, buying a baguette can result in a full-blown frenzy from onlookers; this is a life where he is constantly being watched and followed by security and management.
Despite this, however, the Real Madrid man has remained impressively grounded.
“I’m trying to take the positive out of it,” he revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair regarding life as a world-renowned star. “It’s great, and I’ve learned it is sometimes complicated, and you feel like you no longer belong to yourself, but you belong to the whole world. But at the end of the day, it is a life that we have chosen.
“Maybe not as extreme as this, but we had to take it. It’s difficult to focus on the negatives when thousands of people give you their support and love. So I think it would be ingratitude to complain.”
Dealing with the Madrid & Paris circus
The arrival of Mbappe in Spain has seen a rise in scrutiny and local media reports detailing an allegedly selfish performance in difficult times for his new club. His recent interview with Vanity Fair clearly shows how he has developed from his earlier days in the capital, as he acknowledged his personal journey from an early rise to fame and the difficulty that entailed: “I did not always manage this well because it’s important to remember that I became famous very young, and I did not have the wisdom or the empathy to understand that, for some, they only see me once on television. Now, I try to have more empathy than what is sometimes demanded by certain behaviors and others. The only thing is, sometimes they push the limit too much.
The Burden of the Captain’s Band
As captain of the Les Bleus, Mbappe is practically the figurehead of the country. After his devastating hat-trick in the final against Argentina (that his nation ultimately lost on penalties) Mbappe is keen to etch the third star onto French football jersey.
He sees the hopes of his countrymen not as a burden, but merely as a facet of French culture, jokingly responding, “A French person loves to complain, a French person likes being unhappy; we are simply French.”
Mbappe ready to lead France into another chapter
With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, Mbappe looks more than ready to captain his nation in another global showpiece event, a responsibility which he takes very seriously: “There is nothing better than representing your country,” he stated passionately. “You get into the galactic football stars. About that painful final in Qatar, you just have to continue, you have to move on. You must learn from that painful lesson and translate it into positive energy to write history once more and get to another final, which is an extremely difficult thing to do, and bring back the third star.”
