Why Kylian Mbappe has invested in France's SailGP team: ‘I'm a very curious person'

New York Times

a day ago

Kylian Mbappe admits he knows next to nothing about sailing. At a breakfast on the top floor of a boutique Parisian hotel, just a stone's throw from Roland Garros where week one of the French Open is in full swing, the Real Madrid forward is talking about how he sees the sport as part of his legacy, how it can inspire the young people in his foundation.
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The 26-year-old France captain, a World Cup winner at just 19 and one of the world's most feted soccer players, also helps clear up the predominant question of the day: why has he invested in the French SailGP team?
'Well, the first thing is that as a French person,' he tells The Athletic, 'I've always wanted to support my compatriots. I've always wanted to support French sport, so that was already a first factor.
'The second is because SailGP does a lot of things socially for children. And to have been able to involve my foundation (Inspired by Kylian Mbappe, IBKM) with SailGP is really something that fills me with joy because we share a lot of values ​​and we have a lot of projects planned together for the future.'
SailGP is a high-speed, close-to-shore international championship consisting of 12 national teams racing in identical carbon-fiber catamarans head-to-head over a 12-month season, which runs from November to November.
'I'm just starting out, I'm a beginner,' he says of his SailGP knowledge. 'I'm really trying grasp the basics for now to really understand what it's about. But learning new things, that's something I've always been passionate about, so I'm a good student.'
Mbappe, who bought a stake in France's team in March, is one of many global stars associating themselves with a championship now in its fifth season.
Four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel was a founding investor in the German team. Last month, actor Anne Hathaway was named among the female-led ownership group of the Italian team, while on Thursday, it was announced Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds were the new co-owners of the Australian team. The U.S. team has a plethora of stars behind them, too, with former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry last year leading a group of investors who acquired the team for $35million (£27.2m).
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A factor not to be overlooked is the skyrocketing value of the national teams' franchises. This is a fledgling global circuit still just six years young, so when Sir Ben Ainslie bought the franchise for the British team in 2022, it's believed he paid less than $5m.
Just three years later, SailGP founder and CEO Russell Coutts says he wouldn't sell a franchise for less than $50m. 'By the end of this season, we'll be seeing $100m valuations for teams,' he told The Athletic earlier this year.
SailGP is running hot right now and despite no prior interest in sailing, it's not hard to see how Mbappe was convinced to invest in the French team headed by former Olympic sailor Quentin Delapierre.
But Mbappe wants the association with Delapierre's team to run a lot deeper than pure financial play because he says he sees SailGP as an ideal vehicle for inspiring some of the 98 teenagers and young adults on his program.
Gathered at the breakfast on Mbappe's return to his home city are eight IBKM members, aged 16 to 20. They are there to meet Delapierre for the first time, as he starts preparing them for a trip to New York, where they'll experience a SailGP grand prix at first hand, right in the core of the Big Apple.
Mbappe sounded envious not to be joining them this weekend for the grand prix, which will be held on Upper New York Bay on Saturday and Sunday.
'I want them to have the freedom to create their own experience, their own memories, because they are the ones who will live it,' he says.
'They'll also learn the meaning of sacrifice, the meaning of hard work, because they'll see how much work it takes to get a result, seeing the preparation for a major competition. Of course, I don't know what they plan to do with their lives in the future, but they will see the mental preparation (of the sailors), seeing how much self-control and management of emotions (is involved).'
Mbappe set up IBKM in 2020 to help young children forge a strong direction in life. Working closely with his mother, Fayza, who is also sitting in on The Athletic's interview, the forward, only the second man to score a hat-trick at a World Cup final, wants his legacy to be more than what he has achieved on the football pitch.
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'I wanted to reach out to young people around the world, just as someone once reached out to me, and give them the strength to believe in their dreams and write their own stories,' he says of the foundation. 'We want to inspire and support these young people through sport, education and culture.'
While Mbappe won't be able to join his eight apprentices for the New York leg of the championship, he's planning to attend a grand prix at some point this season or next.
'Depending on my schedule, I will certainly try to see if it will be possible to be there, because it's another thing to see it for real rather than watching it on TV. Like any other sport, you want to feel the energy, the passion and the whole sense of sacrifice that's required when you're trying to achieve a result,' he says.
When it's suggested that he could explore a second sporting career in sailing after he retires from football aged 40, he does a theatrical double-take. 'Forty? You think forty?' Mbappe laughs. 'But I'm a very curious person, and I'm trying to develop myself more and more to gain as much knowledge as possible. So it's really going to be a great learning experience for me because sailing is not an area I know very well.
'I never wanted to close any doors for my post-career. I never wanted to say no to anything, so we'll see, but I have a lot of work to do before considering what comes after my (footballing) career.'
While at first glance there's not much obvious crossover between football and SailGP, Mbappe sees a lot of commonalities. 'The challenges in football and SailGP are different, but I think in the end, success is success, regardless of the discipline. It's the same thing because it provokes the same emotions, it requires the same workload, the same obsession with detail. The same idea of ​​dedicating everything to trying to win.'
Winning is something the French team hasn't manage to achieve yet this season. But even the straight-talking Coutts has talked of the France team as winners-in-waiting.
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But Mbappe has given Delapierre a boost. The France driver having to pinch himself that he now finds himself trading thoughts and ideas with this French soccer icon. 'Honestly, Kylian has inspired me a lot, not only as an athlete but also as a human being,' he tells The Athletic.
'Even when he was really young and playing at Monaco, he spoke very clearly about where he wanted to go and what he wanted to achieve. It's really nice to have this conversation around high-level sports, but also what he wants to share with his youngsters.
'I hope at some point that I will be able to share my passion with Kylian on the F50 and see if he enjoys sailing. It will be super nice to have him on board with us.'