In the Mbappé family, it is not only Kylian who was at the end of his contract in 2024. His little brother Ethan will also reach the end of his lease with Paris Saint-Germain. And as the Spanish press explained this Tuesday morning, he could finally follow his big brother to Real Madrid. Is this a hard blow for the capital club? Or is Ethan Mbappé ultimately just an adjustment variable for the clubs fighting for his big brother?
Arriving at PSG at the age of 11, after playing for AS Bondy, Ethan matured within the capital club’s youth teams, before signing an aspiring contract in June 2021 binding him until 2024. He was then 15 years old. The general public cannot then judge what the young boy is worth, before seeing him blossom during Youth League meetings. Upgraded in U19, the midfielder was able to provide some answers. “He is a very young player who continues to develop. He has good passing quality, good recovery quality, he plays very well between the lines. He must improve his quality of long play, especially in the last pass. He tends to do them on the ground, while these are balls that sometimes have to arrive above. He has a good volume of play. He must also gain in positive aggressiveness, but this is also due to his development. He’s only 16, he’s still growing, he needs to fill out a little, he needs to thicken up a little.”Zoumana Camara said about him at the beginning of 2023.
First professional appearances
Since then, Ethan Mbappé has expanded a little and has already gained experience. He was able to diversify his game, and knows how to alternate between a more defensive midfielder role and that of a relay midfielder, or even an offensive midfielder under the attacker. Integrated into the professional squad during training, he was even entitled to his first minutes with the first team this season. In Ligue 1 against FC Metz at the very end of the match, to the delight of his brother. We were then able to see, during added time, a young midfielder far from being shy, eager to touch the ball and showing himself to be very available.
“He is a very interesting player, with a lot of qualities and personality. He can play in several positions, as number 6 but also higher. He occupies spaces well and can play in the middle. In a match like that of Metz, he had all the merit of playing. It could have started several times. I’m happy for him. I’m sure he will play a lot more matches in the future, because he continues to improve. He has values but, for a young man, he also trains very well and he is very well prepared”, declared Luis Enrique after the match against Metz. He has since made two other appearances in January 2024, in the Coupe de France, against Revel then against Orléans. But nothing more in Ligue 1. Returns from injury have once again filled the well-stocked midfield sector.
It is therefore difficult to find a place in the Parisian group every weekend. Ethan Mbappé therefore continues his progress with the U19s, where he establishes himself as a strong element. His big brother’s choice to join Real Madrid, however, risks having an impact on his own career. Since Luis Enrique has made it clear that the status of his offensive star no longer protects him from being replaced during the match, he will not be likely to favor the appearances of his younger brother either. “I’m a Titi, I’m staying at PSG!”, he would have said in mid-February to Luis Enrique who was questioning his will. A declaration which has not yet changed his contractual situation…
