Kylian Mbappe is geared up to win his first European Championship with France when he leads his side in Euro 2024. It’ll mark the first major tournament in which he’s the French captain and is at the back of his blockbuster announcement of joining Real Madrid next season.
But before embarking on his journey in Spain, Mbappe is determined to clinch the Euros title. He has a lot of pressure on his back and needs to come up clutch as he did in the 2022 World Cup, where he scored a hattrick in the final.
The ex-PSG star also realizes how important winning the Euros could be to boost his chances of winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or over his future teammates Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham. The 25-year-old is calm and collected, at least when it comes to the interviews he’s taking part in.
Mbappe surprised many by partaking in a recent interview with CNN. In this, he speaks in fluent English to respond to the questions. Basically, the interview is all about his aspirations heading into the Euros and he strongly notes that ‘I really want to win this. It’s my first competition as captain, so it’s really important for me.’
What has really taken most supporters aback is the Frenchman’s change of accent whenever speaking English. Mbappe tends to normally have a deep voice when speaking his local language, but that seems to be more toned down when he’s speaking English.
A lot of fans have identified that this is a very forced accent which he probably leant from watching too many American TV shows or celebrities talking, because he lacks that broken accent most French people have whenever speaking English.
Some have mocked Mbappe by claiming that even AI software would fail to match his ‘fake’ accent. There have been claims that he’s developed a very Toronto-English speaking accent and there have even been comparisons to how similar he sounds when talking in English with Formula One racer Charles Leclerc.
With that being said, Mbappe is also receiving quite a bit of praise to how well he can speak English despite never living in an English-speaking country.
A lot of supporters have praised him for being able to grasp the language so well and make himself sound so fluent. There are some who are even claiming that his English is more understandable than many of the British players playing in England.
He’s actually been compared to having a similar accent to Thierry Henry, who also seems to have a bit of an American-influenced way of talking. When it comes to Mbappe, however, there is a reason why his way of speaking might sound too Americanized.
How did Kylian Mbappe cultivated an American accent
As per L’Equipe, the Frenchman actually chose to learn English and Spanish from secondary school. He was very strong in learning languages and worked hard to become fluent at both understanding and speaking these two languages at a young age. Mbappe was also reportedly a huge fan of American culture while growing up.
He would apparently watch English TV shows and Documentaries, and especially post-match interviews given by the sports stars in the USA. This helped him get the drift of how to operate in English-speaking interviews and Mbappe was also a big fan of NBA star LeBron James growing up.
Earlier this year, Mbappe even talked about his admiration for LeBron and told GQ Magazine: “His career is far more advanced than mine and he has projects outside of sport which have secured his legendary status. Being able to seek advice from such inspiring personalities gives me the chance to adjust my projects accordingly and to create something of my own which is as impactful as possible for today’s young generation.”
It’s clear that Mbappe started building himself to be a top professional from a very young age, knowing how being bilingual can help him earn popularity on a worldwide scale. The Frenchman has definitely triumphed in that aspect, being one of the most popular footballers around the globe as he aims to further ascend his legacy by helping France clinch the Euro 2024 title.
