Relaxed, big smile behind his mask, and cap screwed on his head, Kylian Mbappé happily took part in a book signing on Thursday evening, at Fnac, on the occasion of the release of his first graphic novel, “Je I’m called Kylian ”, developed with designer Faro. “We talked a lot, I wanted to let him do his job because he’s really an expert “, tells the Parisian scorer at the microphone of franceinfo. And after two and a half years of work, the result seems to satisfy Mbappé: “the rendering is really great.”
His meeting with Zidane at 14, “something fantastic”
Kylian Mbappé looks back on his career, from his early years at Bondy to his success at the 2018 World Cup with the France team. A story “more playful”, estimates the number 7 of the PSG. “I think kids like it when it’s illustrated, that it fits them, they can relate to that kind of thing. Afterwards, adults can read too, but the idea was to make it really accessible to everyone. “
“KMB” looks back on significant moments of his childhood, such as the meeting in Madrid with a certain Zinédine Zidane. “I’m 14 when he invites me to spend time in Madrid, he recalls. For a 14-year-old child, it’s a dream, it’s something fantastic because Zidane was, and still is, the idol of a whole youth, of a whole country. When he welcomes you like that to Madrid, you are 14 years old, you are nobody, you are living the best times of your life. “ And to add: “I had bananas all week! I went from Bondy to Zidane who invited me in his car!“
Conquered fans
And this signing session delighted young and old alike. “Completely fan, my heart goes ‘boom boom’!”, cries Elsa, to the angels. “I’m a big fan of PSG and Kylian obviously. He’s a good role model for young people, for football, for everything. He is part of associations … We saw him outside Fnac, all the young people are all running saying ‘it’s Kylian’, they are between 6 and 10 years old and they are is their idol! “
Little Liam, 11, also finds it hard to believe that he was able to talk to Kylian Mbappé: “It gives me great pleasure to see him. He’s a great soccer player. He said hello to me and even that made me feel good. It was a moment that I will never forget in my life. “
Friendly, smiling, Kylian Mbappé took the opportunity to slip a message to the young fans present: “You always have to follow your dreams and believe in your dreams, it’s important, no one is going to believe for you.” And to confide that his career, if it seems perfect, was also strewn with pitfalls: “A course is never smooth, but I always followed ‘my lucky star’ and I always believed in what I was doing. It was the most important thing for me.”