While Kylian Mbappé steers France through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, his rumored girlfriend Ester Exposito has been celebrating a separate kind of victory—winning the International Golden Nymph for Most Promising Talent at the 65th Monte-Carlo Television Festiva
On the night France moved within reach of the next World Cup step, Kylian Mbappé was already the headline—reacting after a 3-1 victory over Senegal in a Group I match.
A week earlier, that same tournament atmosphere spilled across the Atlantic to New Jersey. On Monday, France is set to take on Iraq at Philadelphia Stadium, and Mbappé’s name will be at the center of it again.
But while Mbappé’s World Cup story keeps accelerating, Ester Exposito has her own moment—one that feels just as public and hard-earned, even if it belongs to a different arena.
Exposito was honored as she watched the World Cup get underway. At the Festival TV Monte-Carlo, she won the International Golden Nymph for Most Promising Talent. Prince Albert II of Monaco presented her with the Golden Nymph Award during the opening ceremony of the 65th Monte-Carlo Television Festival. and a clip of the moment was shared on the Royal Fashion Channel’s YouTube page.
Her win is tied to her work on the show “Elite.” The program behind the spotlight describes a story where “three working-class teenagers begin attending an exclusive private school in Spain, the clash between them and the wealthy students leads to murder.”
After the ceremony, Exposito was spotted celebrating in a gold, sparkling dress. She also posted the occasion on Instagram with a gallery of photos from the awards event, captioned: “Thank you for this precious recognition.”
For all the overlap in attention—World Cup energy on one side, TV-festival glamour on the other—the relationship question still refuses to settle. Mbappé and Exposito have not confirmed they are dating. Still, they have been spotted together regularly and have not denied they’re an item.
Exposito has also been clear about where her comfort zone ends. She previously told Le Parisien. as transcribed by The Body Optimist. that she “know[s] nothing about football.” She said: “I’ve only been to a stadium a handful of times in my life. At home, nobody watched matches on television. Even though Spain is a great footballing country, I don’t have that culture.”.
When asked by the media outlet Legend about Mbappé, she responded, “I knew who he was,” without adding details that would explain the closeness behind the headlines.
Her World Cup stance is still the same—she’s not pretending to be a football expert—but her career momentum doesn’t slow down. The Monte-Carlo Television Festival itself runs annually in June at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco. It has been honoring international television executives. producers. and actors since 1961. while also hosting world premieres. industry panels. and fan events.
So on Monday in Philadelphia. France will prepare to face Iraq with Mbappé at the forefront after last week’s 3-1 win over Senegal. At the same time. Exposito is walking around with a different trophy on the scoreboard—one that came with Prince Albert II’s presentation and a spotlight that belongs to “Elite. ” not the pitch.
Kylian Mbappé Ester Exposito 2026 FIFA World Cup France vs Iraq Monte-Carlo Television Festival International Golden Nymph Elite Prince Albert II of Monaco
Wait so France is playing Iraq already??
International Golden Nymph for Most Promising Talent… sounds like a fancy way to say “they’re famous now.” Elite being all murder and stuff makes me think that award is just branding honestly.
I saw the headline and thought this was about Kylian getting another award or something. But it’s her? also why is she “rumored girlfriend” like… if they’re posting together then it’s not really a rumor.
Monte-Carlo Television Festiva lol that’s a mouthful. Prince Albert II presenting awards is wild, but I’m more focused on the Mbappé part like why are they already talking about 2026 steps and then it says Monday vs Iraq at Philadelphia Stadium… that seems made up? Anyway good for her though, that gold dress pics on Insta probably got everyone hyped.