Kylian Mbappe tells himself he's better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Self-confidence is an odd thing.

While the majority of us are racked with low self-esteem and a feeling of ineptitude (he types as a solitary tear slides down his cheek) we've all got at least one mate who absolutely loves themselves.

Now, usually said friend's high opinion of themselves just makes them look an absolute p*** as they ecstatically wheel away in celebration after scoring a simple tap-in during a kickabout down the local park, but imagine having a friend who was actually confident and supremely talented.

Well, spare a thought for friends of Kylian Mbappe.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward has revealed the secret to his rapid rise to stardom, claiming his mindset has been the key to his success and that he tells himself he's better than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo before every game.

"The ego? Of course, it's important because when you're in the rough, no one else is going to push you," he told RMC Sport (via Goal). "And you have to convince yourself that you are capable of toppling mountains.

"People don't understand ego but when you are not well there is no one who will come to your house to tell you that you can do that. It's just you and your mindset. It's just you. You have to convince yourself that you are capable of doing great things.

"Every time I go on a pitch I always tell myself that I'm the best and yet I have played on grounds where there was Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. They are better players than me, they have done a billion more things than me.

"But, in my head, I always tell myself that I'm the best because that way you don't give yourself limits and you try to give your best."

While most of us probably find it difficult to understand the concept of not absolutely hating ourselves (here comes that tear again) Mbappe concedes people struggle to comprehend just how much confidence he has in his own ability.

"Of course, sometimes people do not understand because I think there is perhaps also this barrier which is created in relation to this subject, where one does not really explain what the ego is," he added.

"For people, the ego is just not giving a friend a penalty, having a better salary than the player of the rival team. It's not just that, it's also in the preparation. It's a personal thing, to surpass yourself, it's way beyond that superficial thing of saying 'me, me'. But I think there is quite a bit to be said about it."