Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o has said that Kylian Mbappe does not receive the level of appreciation his record-breaking performances deserve in his home country. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.
Stressing that the Real Madrid forward should be universally heralded as his nation’s greatest ever, Eto’o stated that Mbappe is currently held to a different standard than other icons of the game.
The Barcelona legend added that he does not understand why Kylian is forced to operate under a level of scrutiny that his peers often escape.
His words, “He simply deserves to be judged with the same fairness as other great champions, and perhaps it’s time for France to fully appreciate how fortunate it is to have a player of such stature in its history.
But despite his performances, his records, his list of achievements, and his consistency, he seems to constantly have to prove himself again.
It’s legitimate to ask a question, even if it’s uncomfortable: Do Kylian’s mixed heritage, his origins, and what he represents in French society influence, consciously or unconsciously, how some people judge his career, his personality, and his stances?
This question deserves to be asked responsibly, not to make unfounded accusations, but because racism, prejudice, and bias still exist in our societies and should never be normalised.
What more does Kylian Mbappe have to accomplish to be fully recognised as the best French player of his generation, or even as one of the greatest French players in history?”
Kylian Mbappe Lottin (born 20 December 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the France national team. Regarded as one of the best players in the world, he is renowned for his dribbling abilities, exceptional speed, and finishing.
Kylian Mbappé Lottin was born on 20 December 1998 in the 19th arrondissement of Paris and was raised in Bondy, Seine-Saint-Denis, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris. His father, Wilfrid , is originally from Cameroon, and, as well as being his agent, is a football coach. His mother, Fayza Lamari, is of Algerian Kabyle origin and is a former handball player.
He has a younger brother, Ethan, who plays in the Paris Saint-Germain Academy. Their older adoptive brother, Jirès Kembo Ekoko, is a former professional footballer.
On 22 February 2018, Mbappé was joined by former African strikers George Weah and Didier Drogba in a meeting with French President, Emmanuel Macron and FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the Élysée Palace in Paris, which focused on a sports development project in Africa. Mbappé stated that the development of African sport is important to him due to his parents’ African origins.
