Ligue 1 Review | Ethan Mbappé steps out of his brother’s shadow at Lille | OneFootball

It’s very easy to forget that in the summer of 2024, Paris Saint-Germain lost not one but two Mbappés. Ethan, like his more famous older brother Kylian, would leave at the end of his contract. Kylian would, to no one’s surprise, go on to sign for Real Madrid, while his sibling would join Lille OSC. One of these stories dominated the headlines; the other was a footnote.

That has often been the story of Ethan Mbappé’s career. When Kylian joined PSG in 2017, as the most expensive teenager and the second most expensive player in footballing history, Ethan came too, joining the U12s in what many might describe as a sweetener for the Mbappé family. These dealings aren’t unheard of, for instance, Thorgan Hazard arrived at Chelsea following the arrival of his older brother, Eden Hazard.

While Kylian won the World Cup with France, a litany of titles with PSG, and became the club’s all-time record goal scorer, Ethan worked his way up through the age groups in the academy. With one year left on both of the Mbappé brothers’ contracts, Ethan was given his chance in the first team, making his professional debut in December 2023 during the final minutes of a 3-1 victory over FC Metz.

Ethan Mbappé collateral in brother’s divorce

Everything looked to be going well for Ethan, and there were reports that a contract offer was in the works for the teenager to extend his deal beyond the end of the season. However, it would all change when the news broke in February 2024 that Kylian was going to be leaving for Real Madrid at the end of the season. Kylian saw his game time suffer, his wages docked, and the contract offer for his brother dead in the water.

As Kylian explained in an interview with Clique TV, he believed that PSG had made his brother collateral damage, “[Ethan’s] Real Madrid was PSG. What Real meant to me, his childhood dream, was PSG.” Kylian went on to say, “I would have given up my dream of Madrid and stayed for him.” The brothers would instead chart separate journeys, one plotted UEFA Champions League success, while the other simply wanted a fresh start.

At his Lille unveiling, Ethan addressed the elephant in the room, telling reporters, “I had to create my own path, my own story. At PSG, I would have stayed in my brother’s shadow. I think Lille is the right choice for that.” He added, “It’s difficult at the start because you always have to be good, people will criticise you and expect you to be like your brother, when that’s not the case. It’s a difficult name to live up to, but I manage it perfectly. I’m trying to write my story.”

Lille’s late game super-sub

Ethan’s first season at Lille was not the story he wanted to write. The young midfielder picked up an injury on his full debut for the club, an injury that sparked a series of fitness problems that kept him out of the majority of the season and saw his name fall down the pecking order with other young talent, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Ngal’ayel Mukau, relishing their chances in midfield.

However, things are slowly beginning to change as Ethan has begun to make a name for himself with Les Dogues as their late-game super-sub. Injuries kept him out of Lille’s first three fixtures (and he was not included in the UEFA Europa League squad), but in the fourth match, he was a game-changer. Against Toulouse, in the 98th minute, he would complete Lille’s 2-1 comeback by volleying home the match-winner to score his first career goal.

And on Sunday evening, with Lille chasing PSG’s 1-0 lead, the former Parisien would come on to rescue a point in the 85th minute with his brother watching on from the stands. Ethan received the ball inside the edge of the box, dropped his shoulder to lose his marker, and then unleashed his shot. Ethan refused to celebrate against his former team, while Kylian, proud of his little brother, showed no such restraint, as the two once again proved that they can chart their own paths.

Mbappé has begun to take the first tentative steps out of the shadows and write his story at Lille, not entirely free of his brother, but no longer weighed down by a name.

This week’s Ligue 1 sub-plots

GFFN | Nick Hartland