How Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe Shares Key Trait With Novak Djokovic
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe is one of the best footballers in the world, and he's been at the forefront since he broke through as a teenager at AS Monaco and then transitioned over to Paris Saint-Germain.
Now, with the Spanish side, Mbappe continues to impress. While his skillset is what everyone sees, not many are exposed to the Frenchman's mindset, which has allowed him to be a top footballer for so many years now despite being 26 years old.
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Anthony Mette, the mental coach for former Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane and others, stated in an interview with CARRE that Mbappe has a mindset similar to tennis star Novak Djokovic (via Le10Sport).
A player [Mbappe] closely resembles is Novak Djokovic. Djokovic is the gold standard in mental preparation: the ability to manage tension, focus, establish routines... to play under pressure like no other player on the circuit can right now.
- Anthony Mette
💥 @KMbappe
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 28, 2025
💥 @ATchouameni pic.twitter.com/1rS45eBoDE
Diving more into the mental state of the Real Madrid attacker, Mette used one word to describe what he sees when Mbappe is out on the pitch performing at the highest level that many are used to seeing from him.
He has a sinister, cunning side—you can sense a lack of sincerity... These types of personalities have to learn to put on a bit of an act. If they overdo it, they lose themselves in playing a ‘false self,’ as we say in psychology. They end up losing their soul and their game. He’s a champion with a psychopathic profile.
- Anthony Mette
— Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) February 27, 2025
Mbappe displayed this "psychopathic profile" when Real Madrid eliminated Manchester City. The forward scored a hat-trick in the second leg to put the final dagger in the Premier League side's UEFA Champions League campaign.
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Eduardo is an experienced freelance football writer covering Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG On SI. He also covers PSG for PSG Talk and French football for Ligue 1's official English website. He's contributed to NBC Sports' regional sports networks, including NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, providing in-depth sports content for those markets.