# ESPN soccer correspondent Julien Laurens on why Kylian Mbappé is “wired differently”

An episode of [NPR's Book of the Day](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1587369865), 29 Jul 2026, 6:38.

Audio: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-510364/npr.simplecastaudio.com/c3f326c7-02ae-4df0-b95a-b35e58973e1a/episodes/92deb267-de8c-418f-bfee-631fb3290a42/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=c3f326c7-02ae-4df0-b95a-b35e58973e1a&awEpisodeId=92deb267-de8c-418f-bfee-631fb3290a42&feed=tZrJMl4P&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-5911607&p=510364&d=398&size=6368906

French footballer Kylian Mbappé was one of the World Cup's biggest stars this summer, despite France's loss to Spain in the semifinals. ESPN soccer correspondent Julien Laurens has written a new book called Kylian Mbappé: The Definitive Biography, which details the soccer star’s upbringing and path to becoming a sports prodigy. In today's episode, Laurens speaks with Here & Now's Scott Tong about how Mbappé has grown over his career and how – like many of our greatest athletes – he's "wired differently." To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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