For a promising young athlete, being compared to Kylian Mbappé should be flattering. But some athletes really don’t want it.
Like Michael Jordan or LeBron James in basketball, or Zidane or Lionel Messi in football, many young athletes have been labeled as the new “Mbappé” of their sport in recent years. A symbol of precocity, talent and hard work, the reference is mainly used to summarize an athlete’s ability to mark his sport with his talent. And this nickname generally pleases those who are given it. But it can also be difficult to bear, as it also carries sporting and media pressure.
Before his arrival in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama was often called the new “Mbappé” of French basketball. But after a magnificent first season with the San Antonio Spurs, the pivot rookie of the year in the big league seems to have made its own way, to the point that it now happens that promising young people with extraordinary physical abilities are called future “Wembanyama” of their sport. A form of consecration commensurate with the talent of the young basketball player.
However, not everyone is as comfortable with the idea of being compared to Mbappé or Wembanyama. This is the case for Thomas Vernoux. At 22, he is the future leader of French water polo, who has reached a new level since joining the French team, reaching the semi-finals of the world championships. A performance never achieved before. And the impact of Thomas Vernoux in this feat is undeniable.
“He’s our X factor, our game changer,” explains Florian Bruzzo, the coach of the French water polo team. “He’s the one who will change the course of the matches.” Despite this precocity, Thomas Vernoux does not want to be compared to Kylian Mbappé. “Mbappé is someone very strong, but there is also a lot of criticism about his behavior. And I am an OM supporter anyway,” he declared at a press conference.
Joke or refusal to accept the comparison? A witticism or a genuine rejection linked to his Marseille ancestry? It’s hard to know, but Thomas Vernoux has nevertheless put another coin in the speculation machine recently, since he returned to this comparison in an interview, leaving doubts hanging. “Mbappé used to annoy me, but now that he’s gone to Real, it’s fine. Mbappé, he won the World Cup and he’s popular with everyone. So obviously it’s really good,” he nevertheless declared.