{"id":30272,"date":"2026-09-29T12:35:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T12:35:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=30272"},"modified":"2026-09-29T12:35:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T12:35:47","slug":"inspiring-story-of-the-day-my-father-knew-my-head-was-in-the-clouds-so-he-made-sure-my-feet-were-on-the-ground-how-kylian-mbappe-turned-his-parents-unbreakable-steel-int","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=30272","title":{"rendered":"Inspiring story of the day: \u201cMy father knew my head was in the clouds, so he made sure my feet were on the ground\u201d &#8211; How Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 turned his parents\u2019 unbreakable steel into football immortality | International Sports News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134553406,imgsize-2332702,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg\" alt=\"Inspiring story of the day: \u201cMy father knew my head was in the clouds, so he made sure my feet were on the ground\u201d - How Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 turned his parents\u2019 unbreakable steel into football immortality\" title=\"Inspiring story of the day: \u201cMy father knew my head was in the clouds, so he made sure my feet were on the ground\u201d - How Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 turned his parents\u2019 unbreakable steel into football immortality\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Inspiring story of the day: \u201cMy father knew my head was in the clouds, so he made sure my feet were on the ground\u201d - How Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 turned his parents\u2019 unbreakable steel into football immortality\">Inspiring story of the day: \u201cMy father knew my head was in the clouds, so he made sure my feet were on the ground\u201d &#8211; How Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 turned his parents\u2019 unbreakable steel into football immortality<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Kylian Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s rise from Bondy to Real Madrid and the France national team is closely tied to the lessons he learned at home and on the local pitches. Before becoming a World Cup winner and one of football\u2019s biggest stars, Mbapp\u00e9 spent his childhood playing for AS Bondy, where his father, Wilfried Mbapp\u00e9, coached him and kept his ambitions under control.<!-- --> His mother, Fayza Lamari, also played a major role in protecting him as his fame grew. Mbapp\u00e9 has often spoken about how Bondy, his family and football shaped the person he became.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>How did Wilfried Mbapp\u00e9 keep Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 grounded in Bondy<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>For Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, Bondy was never simply the place where he started playing football. It was where he learned how to treat people, how to handle success and why his background mattered.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>In his 2020 article for The Players\u2019 Tribune, Mbapp\u00e9 described a simple rule he learned while growing up. <!-- -->If 15 people were standing together and he knew only one of them, he was expected to greet everyone rather than just the person he knew.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>He explained:<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"13\"\/>\u201cThere is actually a rule in Bondy that everyone understands. You learn it when you\u2019re young. If you walk down the street and see 15 people standing on the corner, and you know only one of them, you have a choice. You either wave and walk on, or you go over and shake all 15 hands.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>For Mbapp\u00e9, that small habit represented something bigger. He said people in Bondy learned to treat everyone equally because they shared the same community.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>His football development followed a similar path. Mbapp\u00e9 trained at Clairefontaine during the week after being selected for the French national academy, but he still returned to Bondy at weekends to play for the team coached by his father.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>That meant he did not get to live only as a highly rated academy player. <!-- -->He still had to play in the environment where his father expected him to work for the team.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>Mbapp\u00e9 recalled one match when he tried a move based on what he had been learning at Clairefontaine. The decision went wrong, the opposition launched a counterattack and his father was furious.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>Wilfried told him:<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>\u201cKylian! You are not here to try your fancy Clairefontaine experiences! We have a league to play here! You can go back to Clairefontaine all week and train on your nice field! But this is Bondy! Here, we have a life!!!\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>Mbapp\u00e9 later explained why that moment stayed with him:<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>\u201cI still carry that lesson with me everywhere I go. My father knew that my head was in the clouds, so he made sure that my feet were still on the ground.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>What did Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 learn from Bondy before becoming a World Cup star<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s childhood was not built around the expectation that he would become a global football star. In The Players\u2019 Tribune, he wrote that he and his friends dreamed about football rather than expecting professional careers.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/>That difference mattered to him.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/>He remembered Bondy as a place where football was part of everyday life. The local pitches, school tournaments and games with friends gave him an environment away from the pressure that later followed him everywhere.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/>His family also tried to protect that normal childhood. Even after Clairefontaine entered the picture, his parents wanted him to spend time at home rather than immediately moving into the world of a major football academy.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>Mbapp\u00e9 said his parents wanted him \u201cto be a child and live a normal life\u201d. Looking back, he felt those experiences taught him lessons that he might not have learned inside an academy bubble.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"47\"\/>That background became part of his identity when he reached the 2018 World Cup with France.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"50\"\/>Mbapp\u00e9 was only 19 when France won the tournament in Russia. Before France\u2019s opening game against Australia, he shared a moment with Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 in the tunnel.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"52\"\/>Mbapp\u00e9 recalled saying:<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"54\"\/>\u201cLook at us. The boy from \u00c9vreux. And the boy from Bondy. We are playing at the World Cup.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"56\"\/>The memory showed how unusual the moment felt to him. He had gone from local football in Bondy to representing France on football\u2019s biggest stage.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"59\"\/>At the end of his The Players\u2019 Tribune letter, Mbapp\u00e9 returned to the children growing up in the suburbs and wrote:<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"61\"\/>\u201cWe are the crazy dreamers. And lucky for us, dreaming doesn\u2019t cost very much.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"63\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>How did Fayza Lamari protect Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 as his fame grew<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Wilfried Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s influence was strongly linked to football and discipline, while Fayza Lamari became an important figure as her son\u2019s profile grew.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"66\"\/>Lamari, a former elite handball player, has also spoken publicly about how difficult Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s sudden fame became for the family. <!-- -->In an appearance on Demain le Sport, she described the effect of the constant attention around her son during his Paris Saint-Germain years.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"70\"\/>She said:<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"72\"\/>\u201cKylian in Paris was like a magnifying glass on his flaws; he was no longer human. I had some very low moments. He can\u2019t even walk down the street anymore. It makes me sad.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"74\"\/>Lamari also said:<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"76\"\/>\u201cWe are not prepared to become public figures.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"78\"\/>Her comments gave a different view of Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s rise. The footballer was becoming one of the most recognisable athletes in the world, but his family was also dealing with the loss of privacy that came with that status. <!-- -->Goal reported Lamari\u2019s comments from her appearance on Demain le Sport in October 2025.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"82\"\/>That family role continued as Mbapp\u00e9 built his life away from Bondy. His parents have remained involved in his wider projects, including Inspired by KM, the association created to support young people.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"84\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>Why does Inspired by KM matter to Kylian Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s Bondy story<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s connection to young people is not only something he talks about. In 2020, he launched Inspired by KM, an association built around helping 98 children work towards their own goals.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"88\"\/>According to Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s official website, the programme began with 49 boys and 49 girls aged between nine and 16. The project focuses on four values: learning, understanding, sharing and passing on what they learn.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"90\"\/>The organisation\u2019s official website lists Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 as president and Fayza Lamari as treasurer. Its activities include language classes, cultural and sports trips, master classes and stays, with the children receiving individual support.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"93\"\/>Mbapp\u00e9 has also given money earned from his France career to charity. After the 2018 World Cup, his bonus was donated to Premiers de Cord\u00e9e, an organisation that provides sports activities for hospitalised and disabled children. TF1 Info reported that the amount donated was around \u20ac400,000.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"96\"\/>That part of his story connects directly with what he learned in Bondy. His journey moved from a local artificial pitch to Clairefontaine, then Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, the France national team and Real Madrid. <!-- -->But the lessons he has spoken about most clearly came from much earlier.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"100\"\/>His father taught him that talent could not excuse poor decisions. His mother saw first-hand what fame could take away from a family. And Bondy gave him a community where football was important, but respect mattered just as much.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"102\"\/>For Mbapp\u00e9, that is where the story really began.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/international-sports\/inspiring-story-of-the-day-my-father-knew-my-head-was-in-the-clouds-so-he-made-sure-my-feet-were-on-the-ground-how-kylian-mbapp-turned-his-parents-unbreakable-steel-into-football-immortality\/articleshow\/134553404.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Inspiring story of the day: \u201cMy father knew my head was in the clouds, so he made sure my feet were on the ground\u201d &#8211; How Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 turned his parents\u2019 unbreakable steel into football immortality Kylian Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s rise from Bondy to Real Madrid and the France national team is closely tied to the lessons [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Inspiring story of the day: \u201cMy father knew my head was in the clouds, so he made sure my feet were on the ground\u201d &#8211; How Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 turned his parents\u2019 unbreakable steel into football immortality Kylian Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s rise from Bondy to Real Madrid and the France national team is closely tied to the lessons [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":7,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kylian-mbappe-parents.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}