Ethan Mbappe: Meet the brother of Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe - calm, strong and versatile

After a long injury, Ethan Mbappe has just scored two goals off the bench, including the equalising goal against Paris Saint-Germain, his training club.

Having as a brother one of the best football players in the world at present is not an easy task, especially when one chooses to follow the same career. But for Ethan Mbappe, 18 years old, Kylian Mbappe's younger brother, breaking away from the star's success and building his own story may be a difficult task.

However, some stories seem to cross paths. Both players were at PSG in the same period, but when Kylian opted to leave the French giants at the end of his contract and join Real Madrid, Ethan's contract was also not renewed with the Parisians.

Now at Lille, Ethan seeks to restart his still very recent career. His characteristics caught attention and his mentality was praised when he emerged in PSG's youth categories, seeming to deal well with the weight of expectations that accompanied the fact of carrying the Mbappe surname.

Ethan Mbappe's characteristics

Laurent Glaize, former head of youth recruitment in the French city of Caen, spent three years following young Kylian and became close to the family during that period.

In an interview with TNT Sports back in 2022, Glaize highlighted some traits of Ethan's profile, reinforcing the young midfielder's composure in dealing with pressure.

"I find him calm and with a strong personality. I think he deals very well with this pressure, is not mistaken in his position in the game, even though they are already asking for autographs more for his name than for what he has already done, because he is still very young. He is a balanced boy, well-mannered and respectful, even though he is obviously in his brother's shadow, which is not easy for him," he highlighted.

But beyond the capacity related to mental health to deal with off-field factors, Ethan Mbappe has as evidence his football intelligence, calmness with the ball, passing ability.

Ethan Mbappe managed to impress PSG coaches to the point of making his Ligue 1 debut at just 16 years old, coming on as a substitute at the end of the 3-1 victory against Metz, with Kylian scoring two of the goals.

His versatility caught attention and earned praise from Luis Enrique himself, PSG's current manager, after the match.

"Ethan is a very interesting player who can play in various positions. I am sure he will play again. He has a prestigious surname, [but] difficult to maintain," stated the Spaniard.

Kylian's decisions and the reflection on Ethan Mbappe

Despite the expectation for more opportunities for Ethan Mbappe with Paris Saint-Germain, the relationship between the Frenchmen was short. In total, the midfielder made five matches for PSG before leaving at the end of his contract, although there was some controversy surrounding his departure.

According to BBC Sport, Kylian had previously suggested that the fact that Ethan Mbappe had not secured a new contract at PSG was linked to his decision to join Real Madrid, and he was willing to remain at the French giant if it meant his brother would also secure a new contract.

"He [Ethan] did not ask for anything. His Real Madrid was PSG. What Real meant to me, the childhood dream, for him it was PSG. At a certain point, I even said: 'If you want, I will renew [my contract] and you can stay, we will stay here'. I would have given up my dream of playing at Madrid and stayed for him," revealed Kylian Mbappe.

"'I do not want to stay here. What they did to you, what they did to me, is not normal.' If he had told me, 'Kylian, it is what I want', I would have given up my Madrid dream and stayed for him," declared the Merengues' number 10.

Ethan Mbappe's next steps

Ethan Mbappe's first season at Lille was hampered by injuries, which prevented him from facing his brother in a Champions League match last September.

"My dream of facing my brother in the Champions League is distant, but has not disappeared," stated the younger brother via social media, after the absence in the match.

With the absences, the midfielder made only a few appearances for the main team last season. For 2025-26, the expectation is that the now recovered Ethan will earn his place in the starting team.

Ethan Mbappe scored his first goal for Lille at the start of this month, securing a 2-1 victory against Toulouse, before repeating the feat this weekend by scoring the equalising goal against PSG, under the gaze of his brother and father, present in the stands.

This article was originally published on Trivela.