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Motivation Quote by Kylian Mbappé

"The most important thing is to keep your feet on the ground"

About this Quote

“The most important thing is to keep your feet on the ground” lands differently when it comes from a player whose job is, quite literally, to leave defenders flat-footed. Mbappe isn’t offering a cute life maxim; he’s issuing a survival protocol for modern celebrity sport, where hype isn’t background noise but the main event. In football’s attention economy, “feet on the ground” is less about humility as a personality trait and more about maintaining control over a narrative that can spin out in minutes: a viral clip, a transfer rumor, a bad half, a headline that turns confidence into arrogance.

The line works because it’s a self-aware contradiction. Mbappe’s brand is speed, lift, levitation - the sense that he operates above the game. So the insistence on grounding functions as reputational ballast. It signals to teammates, coaches, and the French public: I understand the social contract. I can be extraordinary without acting entitled. That’s crucial in a culture that loves prodigies but punishes them the second they appear to believe their own press.

Context matters: Mbappe has grown up inside permanent spotlight conditions - World Cup glory early, nonstop comparisons to legends, and constant speculation about his next move. The quote is a quiet rebuttal to the machinery around him: agents, sponsors, pundits, and fans who all profit from a player “taking off.” He’s framing discipline as the real flex, suggesting that consistency and focus, not glamour or online adoration, are what keep a career from becoming a cautionary tale.

Quote Details

TopicHumility
SourceInterview comments in French media during early PSG years (circa 2018–2019) [translated]
Cite

Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Mbappé, Kylian. (2026, January 30). The most important thing is to keep your feet on the ground. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-most-important-thing-is-to-keep-your-feet-on-184765/

Chicago Style
Mbappé, Kylian. "The most important thing is to keep your feet on the ground." FixQuotes. January 30, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-most-important-thing-is-to-keep-your-feet-on-184765/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The most important thing is to keep your feet on the ground." FixQuotes, 30 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-most-important-thing-is-to-keep-your-feet-on-184765/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Kylian Add to List
Stay Grounded: Kylian Mbappe on Keeping Feet on the Ground
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About the Author

Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé (born December 20, 1998) is a Athlete from France.

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