Soccer

It was October 31, a Serie A game against Pescara — my first match on the bench. For me all was new. The locker room, all red and black.

My journey hasn’t been simple. But it’s not over. Not even close.

A look back at Dani Alves, Neymar, and Bernardo Silva praising Mbappé before his ascent to stardom.

My parents wouldn’t let me and my brother play too far from the front door of our home.

I want to tell you about me, Amine. I feel like maybe you don’t know me that well right now. But you will one day. I’m going to make sure of that. And when you

Je dois commencer avec une histoire un peu gênante.

Because I was a bit smaller than the other kids, my dad knew that winning the ball in the air wasn’t going to be easy for me.

I’d do all the things my dad taught me on the pitch while, about 200 metres away, he slept in the car in the parking lot.

And I looked over at Pogs like, Oh my gosh, if the gaffer actually puts me in, I might wet meself.

I could tell he was very passionate back then, and he still is now.

We was kind of like dark horses in the background, working our way to the final.

In Lisbon, I’ve found my joy again. It took some time, some trust.

When I see the I Bianconeri kits now, I think of the tunnel. I think of the marble. The black … the white … it’s all there. It’s taken me this far.

In Martinique, it means something, the French shirt. In the Caribbean, we respect that shirt. We know it needs to be earned.

This is the story of the greatest night of my entire life.

When you have the surname Kluivert, a lot of people expect something of you. ... I will show you. On the pitch, I will show you.

I just had to follow what I was feeling in my heart. Your dreams are your dreams. Sometimes they don’t make sense to other people.

To leave everything behind that I had in Mainz, that was quite tough. When I cleared my apartment, it felt like someone ripped my heart out of my chest.

I feel that you say about what drives you in respects of not giving up and, "I'm going to prove people wrong."

I was never, ever really truly in control of the anger.

I was very selfish in the way I thought about my career and my family.

Yes, I did play professional football, and had a fantastic career, but before I got to Crystal Palace, I had failed everywhere else. Everywhere.

I wrote this for my dad. For my mom. For my brothers. I wouldn’t be me without them, I owe them everything.