Why is Kylian Mbappe so Good at Football?

Kylian Mbappe’s pace, power and goals in both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals have made him a global superstar. While there is no doubting his pace and his ability to finish, like most top athletes, it’s his mentality that helps separate him from so many other players.

Although his performances at Euro 24 were somewhat underwhelming, he will be expected to further deliver on his talent following his protracted and high-profile move to Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain, where he became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer. But what is it exactly that makes Mbappe stand out from the crowd and makes him so good? GIVEMESPORT attempts to answer that question.

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Mbappe is the ultimate professional

Goals have been his currency since he burst onto the scene at Monaco

How does Mbappe prepare for games? The answer is with a great degree of preparation and professionalism. In many ways, Mbappe’s preparation for matches began years ago, as a 14-year-old boy, his bedroom walls covered in Cristiano Ronaldo posters. As his father recalls, his son spent hours watching videos of Ronaldo on the internet – as reported in the Daily Mail. That was the start of his journey, visualising his future by going to bed, then waking up every day in sight of pictures of his hero, and of where he wanted to be in the future.

The recent BBC documentary about the French forward highlighted his professionalism, with Portugal and Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva, who was teammates with Mbappe when the two played alongside each other at Monaco, when the principality won the Ligue 1 title in 2017 with a game to spare. Naturally, some Monaco players wanted to let their hair down, but Silva recalls Mbappe going home early because he wanted to be able to properly prepare for the next game. Silva says this “obsession for football” is what got Mbappe “to where he is right now.”

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Big Game Mentality

Mbappe relishes being on the grandest stages

In Euro 2020, his unsuccessful spot kick in the second round game with Switzerland saw France eliminated from the competition. Fast-forward to the 2022 World Cup and he did not shirk from his responsibilities, putting himself forward to take penalties once more, effectively scoring three in the final with Argentina – two in the 120 minutes and one in the shoot-out.

France defender Ibrahima Konate highlighted Mbappe’s bravery for taking the first penalty in that shoot-out, saying the forward wanted to score and give confidence to the other players. Mbappe’s career has been built upon hard work. Talking to David Beckham, he said football was his dream and he wanted to do whatever it took to become a professional and that started with working harder than anyone else. Resilience and mental strength are qualities that not only made him a professional, but also informs his approach to big games. This is where he wanted to be all his life.

France legend Thierry Henry goes as far as saying his mentality is one of the key aspects that makes Mbappe so special.

Speaking to UEFA, Mbappe himself gives insight into his thought process:

Composure Under Pressure

The Frenchman keeps a cool head in any situation

Having been scrutinised and speculated over, even before the 2018 World Cup final, in which he scored, and helped France to become World Champions for the second time, it will come as no surprise how, during the majority of his career, Mbappe has maintained a good level of calmness under pressure. It’s not that he hasn’t experienced difficult moments, as already mentioned. In fact, he continues to do so, but is prepared to face up to them.

French newspaper L’Equipe gave Mbappe a brutal rating of two out 10 for his PSG Champions League performance against Borussia Dortmund last season. Equipped with a strong mentality and huge amounts of self belief, Mbappe has mostly been able to shrug criticism off and maintain composure in front of goal. His 44 PSG goals in 48 games in all competitions last season demonstrate that.

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Electric Pace

He leaves defenders for dust

Playing in a game for PSG against Real Sociedad, Mbappe was recorded as running 100 metres in 10.9 seconds. That’s a speed of 36 kilometres per hour, but that wasn’t enough to be the fastest player in the Champions League last season – that honour went to Borrusia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi, who clocked 36.3 kilometres per hour. Not all players have Mbappe’s intelligence and composure in front of goal, not to mention his pace, but his pace has a purpose.

This is something Thierry Henry very much agrees with:

Because of what he has already achieved in the game, there will always be a huge expectation for Kylian Mbappe to win every competition he is in, whether that be for Real Madrid or France. Now 25, he is coming into his peak years and will need to draw on his mental fortitude to deal with continued attention he will receive at one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Stats via Transfermarkt. Correct as of 15.07.24