Parisian suburb Bondy beats to the rhythm of Mbappe

Record ID: 1136561

  • Title: Parisian suburb Bondy beats to the rhythm of Mbappe
  • Date: 4th July 2018
  • Summary: BONDY, FRANCE (JULY 3, 2018) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF LEO LAGRANGE SPORTS GROUND WHERE MBAPPE STARTED AS A CHILD AT AS-BONDY SOCCER CLUB SPORTS GROUND WHERE MBAPPE STARTED FORMER GROUNDSKEEPER MICKAEL ICHKHANIAN WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FORMER GROUNDSKEEPER MICKAEL ICHKHANIAN SAYING: "At the time I was the field keeper and it's true that Kylian Mbappe stood out from the crowd in terms of technique, speed, an understanding of the game. You could already see he was one if not two steps ahead of everybody else. Even at his age." ICHKHANIAN'S EYES ICHKHANIAN'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (French) FORMER GROUNDSKEEPER MICKAEL ICHKHANIAN SAYING: "Clearly the fact the he's from the 93 (post code for the Paris suburbs of Seine-Saint-Denis) which is stigmatized by the television, by the newspapers... Him being from the 93 makes it even better, it is true. And in a way, it is an honour for France. As you were saying, children from the 93 are stigmatized but this proves that the children from the 93 have talent, sporting talent." LEO LAGRANGE SOCCER FIELD TOWER BEHIND FIELD LEO LAGRANGE SOCCER FIELD TAG READING 'ASB', SHORT FOR AS-BONDY SOCCER CLUB WALL READING (French) 'HERE, SUCCESS IS BORN OUT OF BOLDNESS / HERE, FREEDOM AND BROTHERHOOD MAKE A DIFFERENCE / BONDY, TOWN OF OPPORTUNITIES' BOY PLAYING WITH BALL BONDY TOWN CENTRE VARIOUS OF ROADS LEADING TO BONDY
  • Embargoed: 18th July 2018 17:54
  • Keywords: Kylian Mbappe Paris suburbs school trip hometown Bondy Russia suburban area children
  • Location: BONDY AND PARIS, FRANCE / MOSCOW AND ISTRA, RUSSIA
  • City: BONDY AND PARIS, FRANCE / MOSCOW AND ISTRA, RUSSIA
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Soccer,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA0048NC2OGP
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Teenage French striker Kylian Mbappe has been setting the World Cup alight with his searing pace and goal-scoring prowess, marking him out as a rising superstar of the sport.
    The 19-year-old, who scored twice in France's come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Argentina, sending Les Bleus into the quarter- finals, is a well-known figure in his hometown of Bondy, on the gritty northeast outskirts of Paris, where he grew up playing at local club AS Bondy.
    The young sensation, who joined AS Monaco at the age of 14, never lost touch with his roots or let success go to his head -- even after he transferred to Paris Saint-Germain in 2018 for a reported 145 million euro fee.
    His father, a soccer player and instructor originally from Cameroon, and his mother, a professional handball player from Algeria, instilled in him a drive to give back to the community, which sits between two highways and is scattered with decayed housing projects.
    Last month, Mbappe helped finance a trip to Russia for a group of students from a local middle school, College Jean Renoir, after one of the school's funding partners stepped out of the project. At the last minute, Mbappe, French defender Benjamin Mendy and the French Football Federation pitched in allowing them to fly out to Moscow.
    During their 10-day trip, the 25 teenagers visited the most famous monuments of the Russian capital, attended the Morocco vs Portugal and France vs Denmark matches and met Mbappe after a training session for the French soccer team.
    "He is a role model for me. Because I say to myself 'If he made it, why not me too?'," said Khalid, a 13-year-old middle school student, still flying high after his Russian trip.
    "He is very generous. I don't think other soccer players would have done the same. So I am very grateful to him," Khalid added.
    Mbappe is discreet about his charitable giving and hasn't confirmed French media reports that he has waived his match fees at the World Cup, giving the money to charity instead.
    In this suburb, there is immense pride at Mbappe's exploits, but not that much surprise -- they always knew he'd make it big.
    "Kylian Mbappe stood out from the crowd in terms of technique, speed, an understanding of the game. You could already see he was one if not two steps ahead of everybody else. Even at his age," former groundskeeper at Leo Lagrange stadium Mickael Ichkhanian said.
    For young people, their parents and the rest of the community, Mbappe has become proof that anything is possible despite coming from a suburb that is often stigmatized because of its high level of unemployment and social problems.
    "Children from the 93 (post code for the Paris suburbs of Seine-Saint-Denis) are stigmatized but this proves that the children from the 93 have talent, sporting talent," Ichkhanian said.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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