Kylian Mbappe shares his ‘bad habit’ that he can’t stop doing before every game
Kylian Mbappe recently shared a little football habit he still has, even though he knows it’s “really bad.”
Mbappe scored twice in Real Madrid’s 4-1 win over Sevilla last weekend, bringing his total to 11 goals this season. He’ll be aiming to keep up his great scoring streak when Real Madrid faces RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Before the game at the Santiago Bernabeu, Mbappe opened up about a tradition he keeps, even though he doesn’t advise young players to do the same. In an interview with Onze Mondial, he revealed that he plays without insoles in his boots — something he started as a kid and can’t seem to stop doing. He called it an “old reflex” from his early days playing at Bondy when he was just six years old.
Mbappe said, “A secret about me? There are tons! But here’s a football secret — I have a bad habit that’s not good, but I do it anyway: I play without insoles. So, to all the kids, don’t take your insoles out! Keep them in! I made that mistake when I was little, and ever since then, I’ve played without them. Even with my custom-made boots now, I still take them out because it’s just an old habit from my Bondy days.”
Mbappe joined Nike when he was just eight years old and was one of their top football faces, even having his own signature Mercurial boots. After nearly 20 years with Nike, his contract ended, and he moved on to a new deal with the Swiss brand On.
On, which started in running and other sports, is now making a big push into football. Mbappe signed a reported 10-year contract with them. Thierry Henry was hired as On’s ‘Director of Football,’ and Mbappe is not only a global ambassador but also has a financial share in the company, along with a major sponsorship deal.
While the first official boots from this partnership won’t be out until 2027, Mbappe has been testing prototypes on the pitch. He wore them in France’s recent win over Turkey, where he scored the winning goal. These early boots feature new LightSpray technology that Mbappe helped develop.