Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe has joked about what it is like to be recognised as a top-level footballer, claiming he cannot buy cheese without a crowd gathering.
The 21-year-old has enjoyed a staggering ascent to stardom, having broken through with Monaco four years ago before moving to PSG, where he has grown to become seen as one of the greatest players in the game having helped France to World Cup glory in 2018.
And Mbappe admits that it means that daily life has changed dramatically for him over the years.
“When I go outside, a crazy crowd forms,” he told ‘Enyove Special’ on France 2 . “I can’t even go to the supermarket anymore. If I forget to buy gruyere, I can't go to Carrefour [a supermarket brand] to buy it. They'd have to close it just so I could buy gruyere. I can’t be just anyone anymore.”
He continued by citing another example of the lack of privacy that he faces in his everyday life.
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“You’re at home and you’re bored, so you take a little walk outside. You go to have a little ice cream. Then it’s over. Before I’ve even had a chance to lick it, there are already 500 people around me!” he explained.
“It’s the life I wanted. I accept the situation. It’s not easy every day, but I wanted it.”
Mbappe is enjoying another memorable campaign with Ligue 1 leaders PSG, helping them to an eight-point advantage at the summit of the division ahead of Marseille.
On a personal note, he has scored 13 goals, making him the league’s second leading marksman behind Monaco hotshot Wissam Ben Yedder.
Despite this success, there have been reports linking the PSG forward to Real Madrid, while he spoke admiringly of what Liverpool have achieved in the Premier League this season in an interview with BBC Sport earlier this week.
“What Liverpool are doing in this moment is amazing,” Mbappe said of the defending European champions.
“They've lost zero games. When you watch you think everything's easy but that's not easy. The guys are focused, they play games every three days and they win, they win, they win.”
Mbappe is expected to feature prominently on Sunday, when PSG travel to Lille, the side with the best home record in France’s top flight.
