When France won the 2018 World Cup, star forward Kylian Mbappe was the team’s 19-year-old phenom, and his spectacular performance during that tournament made him into a global superstar.

Fast forward eight years and Mbappe has lived up to all the hype and then some, as he has been one of the world’s best soccer players over the past few seasons — for his club and his country.

Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain club team has won two straight UEFA Champions League titles, which were the first two in the club’s storied history. And while France lost in the 2022 World Cup final to Lionel Messi and Argentina, the French are considered favorites to win this year’s World Cup because their team is loaded with talent.

One big difference between the Mbappe back then and the Mbappe now is that he’s more open with his personal life. This has been made clear by him being in a public relationship with Spanish actor Ester Exposito.

These two were first linked in early 2026 but have since officially confirmed they’re in a relationship.

Exposito is busy with her own career and therefore isn’t able to follow Mbappe and France during the World Cup. This was evident in an Instagram post she shared June 16, which showed her wearing several dresses (including an eye-catching pink one) while in Monte Carlo, France.

The top comment on the post is from Mbappe himself, who simply wrote, “😍”.

Clearly Mbappe is loving these looks from Exposito and understands her prioritizing her own career instead of putting that on pause to see him perform in person at this year’s World Cup.

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