Kane, Mbappé and Yamal: football’s podium, standing with children

Some evenings, football seems to fit inside an envelope: a name to read, a trophy to lift, applause. On 26 October 2026 in London, Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or ahead of Mbappé and Yamal. A ranking that sparks debate, excites supporters and fills the news.

But at CHIARA! we want to look beyond that evening. These three players have chosen different ways to support other people. Behind the organisations’ names are tangible things: a lesson about emotions, an educational journey, sport brought to children in hospital, the right to play defended before the world.

There is one trophy. Fortunately, there are many opportunities to do good.

Harry Kane: a hand for those struggling to get back up

Before the champion, there was a child who heard no. The London Museum recounts how Kane was released by Arsenal at eight: he did not seem to have the right qualities. Tottenham, loan spells and the road towards top-level football followed.

Today, that story gives his commitment particular meaning. Launched on World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2022, the Harry Kane Foundation works to change how we talk about emotional wellbeing. It collaborates with experts and charities, supporting education, awareness and access to help.

Through Premier League Primary Stars, school resources about resilience have been developed: activities to recognise discouraging thoughts and face obstacles. In February 2023 Kane also surprised a class whose pupils had written to him about their difficulties and goals.

Imagine that moment: your favourite footballer taking something you find difficult seriously. Struggling with handwriting, a fear, a goal that seems distant. Someone is listening. And for once, you do not have to be the best to deserve attention.

One pupil was Zamil, who had written about difficulties with handwriting. The Premier League describes his excitement at receiving recognition from Harry and his wish to frame it in the living room. An adult might offer a hurried word of encouragement; a child might remember being truly seen.

Harry’s wife Kate is involved too. The foundation’s official archive documents educational resources they helped write for Bounce Forward’s Healthy Minds programme and a 2024 school session with Kate in the classroom and Harry joining remotely.

There is support for Haven House as well. In February 2024 Kane promoted Miles for Smiles, a fundraising walking challenge. According to the foundation’s account, his involvement helped raise over £25,000. Another way of being present: using the attention you receive to highlight those caring for others.

Strength can also mean asking for a hand

In November 2025 the foundation supported a free resilience module with The Mix for young people aged 10–18, featuring interactive content and comics. Kane contributed experiences of pressure and setbacks. Its message is clear: resilience does not mean becoming unbreakable; it includes knowing how to seek support.

In June 2026 a fundraising campaign was announced in UK Skechers stores for Shout, a mental health text support service. Small donations offered at checkout to support practical help.

This is the side of Kane that moves us: using visibility to open conversations that often remain closed. Behind a smile, even the smile of someone who always seems to cope, there may be a difficult day.

Kylian Mbappé: helping you build your own dream

Mbappé’s story takes us to Inspired by KM, the association launched on 20 January 2020. It began with 98 children and teenagers: 49 boys and 49 girls, then aged 9–16, from different backgrounds. The announced programme aimed to accompany them until they entered working life.

Four verbs describe its direction: learn, understand, share, pass on. Its official presentation describes language classes, cultural and sporting outings, masterclasses and trips, supported by professionals, school links and individual attention.

A dream needs tools too. Meeting people, discovering possibilities, entering somewhere you never thought you could. Having someone accompany you long enough to help you find your way.

At the launch, Mbappé’s idea was to help young people build and achieve their own ambitions. Their own matters. A child’s future does not have to resemble their idol’s to be wonderful.

The association also explains its approach: listening to young people, involving families and maintaining links with schools. Less eye-catching details than a photograph with a star, perhaps, but they show why continuity matters. A special experience needs a journey that keeps people connected.

And then comes the last verb: pass on. The idea that someone receiving an opportunity might one day offer it to somebody else. Goodness reaching beyond the first encounter and finding new hands.

When the stars are the children in hospital

Mbappé is also a patron of Premiers de Cordée, which brings sporting activities to children in hospital and raises disability awareness. Both the organisation and the player’s official website document his involvement.

On its supporters’ page, the association shares a thought from Kylian: when he plays football in hospital, he sees the children as the real stars of the moment.

There is a gentleness in that perspective. Putting someone facing difficulty at the centre. Sharing a game, a smile, time. Making room for a child beyond their illness: their tastes, personality and wish to have fun.

Lamine Yamal: standing up for the right to play

The third step of the podium brings us to Lamine Yamal. On 11 June 2026 UNICEF announced his appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador, focusing on the right to play and children facing conflicts, natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies.

Introducing his role, Lamine recalled the simple ingredients of his childhood: family, a ball, a park, a dream. Football gave him belonging and hope. Now he wants to use his voice to defend every child’s chance to play and grow safely.

His UNICEF activities began before the appointment. For World Children’s Day in 2024, he wrote to his younger brother about his hopes for children. In 2025 he handed his social accounts to Ahinora, a nine-year-old girl from Equatorial Guinea, to show her everyday experience of her rights.

A gesture that changes who speaks: a celebrity opens a space and lets a child tell her story. The right to play becomes something we can picture: a safe place, other children, a childhood nobody should steal.

This is close to football’s simplest starting point. Before sponsors, selections and rankings comes the pleasure of chasing a ball, inventing goalposts from two objects, belonging to a group. Yamal, whose father is Moroccan and mother Equatorial Guinean, brings the memory of his roots to this commitment, as his UNICEF profile recalls.

Defending that right means making room for a childhood concerned with more than survival. Here the sporting story meets life: the wish that other children might know some of the freedom a game can bring.

A video to take you inside this story

Harry Kane: Resilience, released for the foundation’s launch and recognised at the 2023 Smiley Charity Film Awards, tells Kane’s story and highlights the importance of support from others.

Goodness does not need a ranking

A podium puts three people in order. Their initiatives introduce different needs: being heard, having opportunities, enjoying a safe childhood. These are distinct projects with their own organisations and goals. What connects them is the choice to put part of their fame at someone else’s service.

For those who look at life through faith, there is a familiar invitation: notice your neighbour, value their future, share something of yourself. Through a foundation, an association, volunteering or patient companionship.

Kane, Mbappé and Yamal have claimed football’s podium. Their stories also remind us how beautiful it can be to use the light you receive to brighten a little of someone else’s path. 💗