At just 24 years of age and atop the world of soccer, Kylian Mbappe is unlikely to follow Lionel Messi to MLS anytime soon.
But if and when the French superstar decides to move Stateside, all evidence points to him settling in seamlessly.
Mbappe was seen brushing shoulders with a who’s-who of partygoers at Michael Rubin’s Fourth of July bash in the Hamptons, which had the likes of Tom Brady, Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Jay-Z in attendance.
And it’s far from the first example of Mbappe embedding himself in American culture.
The prolific goalscorer has been known to vacation in both New York and Los Angeles, with both locations providing him a glimpse into the American sports landscape.
Mbappe hung with the likes of Micah Parsons and Lil Baby at a recent party
NBA icon LeBron James and Kylian Mbappe have formed a bond in recent years
Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi posed for a picture with Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant in January
After a breakthrough 33-goal season for PSG in 2018-19, Mbappe threw out the first pitch for the LA Dodgers, and kicked field goals at the Rams’ SoFi Stadium during another trip in 2022.
Mbappe has also been to the Big Apple at least twice in the past year-plus.
He attended the 2022 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center, showing off his basketball skills on a pop-a-shot-game, before returning in January of this year.
That time, he and PSG teammate Achraf Hakimi sat courtside as the Brooklyn Nets beat the San Antonio Spurs, and posed with the team’s former star Kevin Durant after the win.
The duo even took in the offerings of a local mall – American Dream – in nearby East Rutherford, New Jersey – as they were pictured on a rollercoaster and privately rented out the location’s water park.
But while Mbappe has enjoyed some lighter-hearted activities in the US, he also has business ties to the country.
His production company Zebra Valley was announced as a partner of the NBA last year, with plans to ‘create original NBA content for fans around the world.’
Mbappe, who is endorsed by Nike, also has a joint cleat with LeBron James and has been a cover star of Time Magazine.
The forward and his brand-mate James have struck up a relationship since sitting down for the basketball star’s ‘More Than An Athlete World Tour’ in 2018, where they spoke about dealing with fame as teenagers, among other subjects.
The pair also swapped profile pictures in 2021 before the Lakers star called Mbappe ‘one of the greatest of all time’ ahead of France’s loss to Argentina in the World Cup final last year.
Mbappe and Hakimi (left center) enjoyed themselves at American Dream mall in New Jersey
Mbappe pictured with model Grace Adele at Michael Rubin’s party in the Hamptons
Mbappe was also in New York last year for the 2022 NBA Draft, and walked the red carpet
Mbappe, a strong candidate to win the Ballon d’Or this year, unsurprisingly has the respect of his sporting peers.
But he also has the linguistic capabilities that so many modern stars impressively possess.
In addition to his native French, Mbappe can speak Spanish and English, and so it’s not hard to imagine him as a seasoned 35-year-old fielding questions from the American media after an MLS game.
Still, even with Messi, Sergio Busquets and seemingly Jordi Alba joining Inter Miami, there’s lots for Mbappe to accomplish in Europe before he would potentially move Stateside.
There’s his long-mooted move to Real Madrid – expected next summer at the latest – where’d he join arguably the world’s biggest club and link up with fellow young stars like Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham.
The 2018 World Cup winner will also want to claim the Champions League after losing the final in 2019 and being dumped out in the Round of 16 the last two seasons with PSG.
Mbappe’s potential arrival in MLS shouldn’t be considered remotely close, but Messi’s move to the league could change the answer to an interesting question: just how early in their careers will bonafide stars start to consider America?
Messi and Sergio Busquets could open the floodgates for other stars to join MLS in the future
Mbappe will be 27 in 2026 but will have spent 11 years playing senior football in Europe by then
At 36, Messi is towards the end of his career, though Lorenzo Insigne agreeing to join Toronto FC at 30 was seen as a major coup, while Antoine Griezmann was already thinking about MLS as a 29-year-old.
Mbappe will be only 27 when the 2026 World Cup kicks off in the USA, but with the Copa America and Club World Cup also coming Stateside – not to mention the arrival of a certain Argentine No. 10 – there could be truly rapid growth of the sport in a short period of time.
By the time Mbappe and his France teammates begin the next World Cup, he’ll have spent the previous 11 years playing senior-level soccer in Europe.
Is it that crazy to imagine Mbappe – possibly after racking up some Ballon d’Or and Champions League wins – getting the itch for a new chapter in MLS?
A bit, but the same thought applied to Messi.
