Robin van Persie’s 2015 Prediction About Kylian Mbappé: “If He Doesn’t Become a Global Star, I’ll Eat My Boots”

Robin van Persie has shared a remarkable story from 2015 that shows just how early he spotted Kylian Mbappé’s extraordinary talent.

Speaking about the French superstar, the former Arsenal, Manchester United and Fenerbahçe forward recalled a friendly match Fenerbahçe played against AS Monaco in Switzerland.

Van Persie explained that he was due to play around 70 minutes and was substituted shortly before a very young player came on for Monaco.

“They called him MBAPPÉ, and at that time, no one in Europe had heard of him yet,” Van Persie said.

“But as players, we had already heard while in Switzerland that Monaco had a special player on the bench for their match against us.”

The game was played on a poor-quality pitch at a local amateur club, yet Mbappé — then only 16 — made an immediate impression in his 20 minutes on the field.

“He was incredibly explosive and skillful. I decided to observe his every move. It was truly something on another level,” Van Persie remembered.

He turned to his teammates on the bench and made a bold prediction:

“I looked at him and told everyone else: ‘If this kid doesn’t become a global star, I’ll eat the football boots I’m wearing.’”

Two years later, PSG paid Monaco a world-record transfer fee of €180 million to sign Mbappé, proving Van Persie right in spectacular fashion.

The Dutch legend’s early foresight has resurfaced as one of the most accurate predictions in modern football history — and thankfully for him, he never had to follow through on eating his