Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young credited Kylian Mbappé for his most recent accomplishment with Real Madrid. Mbappé is an elite soccer player who is considered by many to be a generational talent with the potential to end his career as one of the greatest players ever.
While basketball and soccer have no direct connection, other than the fact that they are both contact sports, there is no getting around the fact that most professional athletes have a sense of respect and admiration towards others, regardless of their sport of choice and preference.
Trae Young Shows Love to Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior
Although Young has established himself as one of the top point guards in the NBA, he also appears to be a big soccer fan. Videos of the Atlanta Hawks squad engaging in soccer practice during their free time have indicated that Young has always been a fan of soccer.
As a result, it is no real surprise that Young credited Mbappé and Vinicius Junior for their recent performance in a matchup between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Even though Real Madrid lost this game, Young did not hesitate to credit both soccer stars via social media in the aftermath of their loss, “Mbappe & Vini so cold.. not fair!”
Mbappe & Vini so cold.. not fair! ⚽️
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) May 11, 2025
There might not have been a better time to credit Mbappé. After all, the 26-year-old made history by recording the most goals in a debut season throughout Real Madrid franchise history. Until this point, Chile’s Ivan Zamorano held the record with 37 goals.
By scoring an unexpected hat-trick and recording 38 goals in his debut season with Real Madrid, Mbappé established himself as a new record holder, albeit in a loss to Barcelona. Unfortunately for Real Madrid fans, FC Barcelona’s Eric Garcia, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha, who scored two goals in this game, combined to record four goals and ruin Mbappé’s historic night.
While soccer and Mbappé fans might be glad to see Young show love to the Real Madrid stars, one should wonder how the Atlanta Hawks fanbase feels. After all, Young and the Hawks were eliminated from postseason contention and will be looked at infamously as the only team to lose two play-in games and allow a 10th seed, the Miami Heat, to make it to the playoffs.
In any case, Young is facing a long offseason, and the Hawks are expected to make some roster changes and upgrades to return to postseason contention next season.