In the deprived Parisian suburb of Bondy, where 23-year-old Kylian Mbappé was brought up in a tower block, cheers for his name will be louder and more heartfelt than anywhere.
When French wonderkid Kylian Mbappe attempts to break English hearts in the World Cup quarter-final, he will have his whole country behind him.
He is already a superstar to millions of Les Bleus fans, as well as supporters of Paris Saint-Germain, the club he was a boyhood fan of and signed for £166million four years ago.
But in the deprived Parisian suburb of Bondy, where the 23-year-old was brought up in a tower block, cheers for his name will be louder and more heartfelt than anywhere.
For despite now reportedly earning £650,000-a-week and owning two Ferraris and a £3million flat in one of Paris’ most desirable areas, proud residents here still consider Mbappe one of their own.
Among them is Elmire Florimond, 64, who still resides in the flat directly below Mbappe’s former family home, where he lived until he was aged ten.
Kylian Mbappé (left) with journalist Felix Mubenga ( Image: Charlie Varley/varleypix.com)
Beaming with pride, she told the Mirror: “Kylian’s bedroom was directly above my children’s bedroom.
“You could hear thud thud thud all the time because he was constantly kicking his football around his bedroom.
“His mum was constantly coming down apologising, but he meant no harm. He was such a nice and polite boy.
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“Kylian’s dad was a football trainer and he would follow him around everywhere. He loved football.”
Mrs Florimond, who has lived in her flat, overlooking AS Bondy’s Leo Lagrange stadium, for 29 years, added: “Kylian hasn’t forgotten his roots.
“A few years ago he sent tickets for my family to see a match at PSG and met with them and posed for photos after the match.”
The footballer (wearing a red sweater) at the Ecole Maternelle Pasteur
Mbappe’s face now adorns a 100ft poster on a nearby residential tower block alongside the slogan: ‘Bondy, ville des possibles’, French for ‘The town where anything is possible’.
It is an inspiring message, but for many residents here life is hard.
Aged just six, Mbappe witnessed the area’s infamous 2005 riots, which saw angry youths torch cars, attack police and vandalise buildings while violently protesting against police harassment in his neighbourhood.
Seventeen years on it remains deeply troubled and despite being just a short drive away from the centre of Paris, which includes picture postcard landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, Bondy feels like a completely different world.
A mural adorns a gritty apartment block on the Rue Jules Guesdes in Bondy
The unemployment rate is double the national average.
And it is part of the infamous Seine St Denis 93rd arrondissement, which has earned an unenviable reputation for sky-high crime rates, including violence.
Just last Saturday, a 25-year-old man was killed here in Bondy after being shot several times, which police believe was linked to drug trafficking.
Fortunately for Mbappe, who has already scored five goals so far during this World Cup, he escaped the threat of gangs, drugs and violence due to his incredible skills.
A run-down football cage built and paid for by Nike in honour of Kylian Mbappe after the 2018 World Cup
Brigitte Legrand, 65, lives in a block of flats just yards from the one Mbappe grew up in and has put up a placard on the outside gate paying tribute to the star, who was born just months after France won the World Cup for the first time in 1998.
It reads: “98 was a great year for French football. Kylian was born.”
She said: “What he has achieved is a great inspiration for children around here.
“Life in Bondy is sometimes hard and he is showing them there is a way out of what can be a dark place.”
Mbappe’s Cameroon-born dad Wilfried was a respected football coach for AS Bondy, where Mbappe began playing aged just five.
Léo Lagrange stadium where Mbappé first played football for local club AS Bondy ( Image: Charlie Varley/varleypix.com)
And he and the future star’s mum Fayza, a professional handball player of Algerian descent, ensured he worked hard on his talent, leading to him being courted by some of the world’s top clubs, including Real Madrid, Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea, while still at school.
He went on to win the World Cup with France in Russia in 2018 after becoming only the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup Final.
And such is his importance nationally, President Emmanuel Macron personally begged him not to quit Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid earlier this summer.
Local journalist Felix Mubenga, 26, who works for community website ‘Bondy Blog’ was granted an exclusive interview with Mbappe when he returned to the area for a personal victory parade after France’s last World Cup victory.
The empty bed of a homeless person behind a McDonald’s restaurant close to the Léo Lagrange stadium ( Image: Charlie Varley/varleypix.com)
He said: “Everyone was going crazy when he arrived. It was like the President of France had arrived with all the security, but he was really calm and charming.
“He is the most famous person from Bondy ever. But he is really humble and just likes to focus on his football.
“People here are really proud of him. He’s still one of us.”
Perhaps due to his own experiences of life growing up in Bondy, Mbappe is a generous philanthropist.
He launched his own foundation for disadvantaged youths in Paris and has donated his national team match fees to good causes.
However, it seems unlikely he will show any charity towards Gareth Southgate’s men tonight.
Former neighbour Mrs Florimond, a retired restaurant manager, added: “I feel so proud when I watch him play for France. We watch every match as a family.
“I think it will be close, but I hope France will win against England and think Kylian could prove to be the difference.”
Judicael Mande, 26, played alongside Mbappe for AS Bondy’s under-13 and under-15 sides.
He said: “Kylian played two years up from his age.
“He was the smallest in the team, but had no fear of the bigger kids.
“He was the best dribbler in the club even at that age. He was just incredible.
“We always knew he would play for France. He was always really positive and was totally focused on football.”
The nursery school attended by Kylian Mbappé
Judicael, who is now Bondy’s under-11 coach, said: “He still comes back here and inspires the kids.
“The last time he was here was in March or April this year.”
Speaking about the England game, Judicael said: “I’m really confident France are going to win tomorrow.
“I think Kylian has been the best player in the World Cup and England should be scared of him.
“But for this game I think Giroud is the one to watch because Kylian is going to be marked.”
source: mirror.co.uk/
