Ethan Mbappé, 19, has been gaining attention in European media after becoming a regular starter for Lille under Davide Ancelotti. He was one of the standout players in the team's 2-2 draw against PSG last Friday. The young player was also featured in the Spanish newspaper "As", which highlighted his progress under the command of Carlo Ancelotti's son.
The arrival of Davide Ancelotti at Lille in June marked a change in the recent trajectory of the midfielder. The coach valued Ethan's performance in training and worked with the club's medical team to try to prevent new physical problems, which had affected the player in the previous two seasons. In the preseason, Ethan scored the two first goals in a single match in his career, in a 6-3 win over Leuven. This performance earned praise from the coach.
Davide Ancelotti also found a different role for the young player. Used by Luis Enrique at PSG as a winger, full-back, midfielder, and even a forward, Ethan now plays mainly on the right side for Lille, with the freedom to search for spaces inside. Against PSG, Ethan drew attention for his partnership with Tiago Santos and his attempts on the back of Zaïre-Emery. In one of the main plays, Ethan created an opportunity for Olivier Giroud, but the goalkeeper Safonov made the save.
Ethan left PSG in 2024. According to "As", his renewal lost strength after Kylian Mbappé announced that he would not remain at the club. From that moment on, the young player lost space with Luis Enrique, and the talks about his permanence cooled down. He eventually agreed with Lille. In his first season with the new club, he played only 14 games, hindered by injuries. In the following season, he played 22 games, scoring three goals and providing one assist, including a goal against PSG. A new muscle injury again interrupted his sequence.