Kylian Mbappé cannot be one of the world’s best with his attitude problems

We have been lucky to witness some of the game’s greatest-ever players grace our eyes in recent years. The sheer brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has dominated the headlines for decades, but all good things must sadly come to an end.

The new era is beginning and the two main players who look set to give us a similar ‘rivalry’ are PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and more recently, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. Both are outstanding talents who have the world at their feet but already there does seem to be a difference between the pair.

Over the last season or two, there have been a growing number of reports surrounding Mbappe’s attitude. The Frenchman rose to stardom during the 2016/17 season with AS Monaco, helping his side snatch the Ligue 1 title away from the dominance of PSG whilst also playing a major role in their run to the Champions League semifinals.

Since then, Mbappe’s rise has been meteoric and that is not always a good thing for a young player.

At just 18 years old, being bought by PSG for €180 million will undoubtedly seed some thoughts into any young player’s mind and it’s not hard to imagine why. It is very easy for players to get influenced early on in their careers and by being around some of football’s biggest names and earning a ridiculous wage, it’s not a surprise to see that he has suffered from an inflated ego.

The Frenchman has fit in seamlessly at the highest level, managing 185 goals and 90 assists in 232 games, whilst also becoming the youngest goal scorer in a World Cup final since the legendary Pele.

With a player of his quality, there is always going to be interest from other clubs. It is no secret that Mbappe wants to play for Real Madrid, in fact, it is pretty much common knowledge that the Frenchman is a Los Blancos fan and that his idol is Madrid legend, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 23-year-old has consistently been linked with a move to Spain and last summer it seemed set to finally go ahead. Madrid bid in excess of €200 million for the Frenchman’s services but PSG refused the Spanish sides advances multiple times, despite Mbappe reportedly agreeing terms with Los Blancos.

But in a shock move, the 23-year-old signed a new five-year deal with the Parisians after the club effectively emptied the bank in a desperate attempt to keep their prized asset. The term ‘no player is bigger than the club’ was obliterated by this new contract. Not only does Mbappe earn a measly £42.5 million a year, in addition to the £153 million signing-on bonus, but he also has a large percentage of his image rights and has a say in the strategic matters of the club.’́

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The contract offer was disgraceful to football and whilst no one can really blame the Frenchman for taking it, it is apparent that the power has already gone straight to his head.

The relationship between Mbappe and PSG has become strained since he signed the dotted line, with the Frenchman reportedly unhappy at the signings brought in and the formation the club are playing in. It seems he does not have as much control as he thought he did and is now having a tantrum.

His attitude on the pitch has been laughable at times and his strop in PSG’s 5-2 win over Montpellier stands out vividly.

Mbappe stopped running mid counterattack when he didn’t get the ball when he requested it, threw his arms up in the air and even started walking away from it completely. To make things worse, if he had stopped acting like a spoilt child and continued his run into the box, he would have had a tap in.

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In the same game, the forward was involved in an incident with fellow star Neymar: the Brazilian refused to give the Frenchman a second penalty after Mbappe had missed the first spot kick. After an angry debate, Neymar slotted home and Mbappe didn’t even celebrate. In fact, he refused to pass to his teammate for the rest of the game.

You see this kind of behaviour in youth sports where it usually gets stamped out, so seeing this at the top level of football shows that Mbappe has a long way to go mentally if he wants to be the best.

These signs were there to see in his early life. At school he was described as kind and gifted by teachers but also disruptive, which is showing more and more as his career progresses.

It is clear to see the disruption that Mbappe has caused at PSG this season. The changing room looks completely divided which could well hold the Parisians back in their Champions League ambitions and could have an added impact on France’s World Cup campaign.

It is crystal clear that his mega money contract was a complete mistake on his part. Not only has he effectively priced himself out of a ‘dream’ move to Real Madrid in the near future, but he has allowed the money and power to go straight to his head which will do him no favours in his career.

Many of the top players have egos, there is no doubt about that, but they all have a professional attitude and this is what could cost Mbappe should he not take a look at himself in the mirror.

If he wants to achieve his remarkable potential then he should take a leaf out of Haaland’s book. The 22-year-old conducts himself professionally both on and off the pitch. He is down to earth in interviews, he works incredibly hard and he gets on with his teammates. It’s the simple things that make a difference so maybe Mbappe should take a step back and have a look at how the Norwegian conducts himself – he could really learn a lot.

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