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Mbappé CHEATING on Ester Expósito? The viral NYC photos that have broken the internet

Mbappé CHEATING on Ester Expósito? The viral NYC photos that have broken the internet
The Real Madrid star is at the centre of rumours following a viral photo taken after the international break.
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A viral post showing Kylian Mbappé arriving at a New York City nightclub alongside an unidentified woman set X ablaze this week, leaving fans on social media convinced they were watching the Real Madrid star play away while his high-profile romance with Spanish actress Ester Expósito heats up.

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However, there's just one problem. The story doesn’t hold up, at least for now.

The photos don’t tell the story you think

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe | IMAGO

The post, shared by @21metgala, racked up over 762,000 views and sparked immediate cheating allegations.

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But a closer look at the paparazzi shots reveals two different women presented as one.

The woman photographed walking closely with Mbappé, in a black hoodie and khaki cargos, is not the same person as the curly-haired brunette photographed solo outside the venue.

The mystery brunette allegedly spotted with Mbappe in NYC is simply known as Maliaka, a model | X/@21metgala

The latter, identified as New York and London-based model Malaika (@malaika.lpz on Instagram). She currently boasts 23.9K followers on the platform.

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Instagram (@malaika.lpz)
She has nearly 24K followers on Instagram

There are also unverified rumours linking her to a friend of the Les Blues captain.

The stunning brunette allegedly linked with Mbappe in a recent sighting

While it is unclear if she was part of Mbappe's entourage in the context, she appears to have been photographed entirely separately.

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The woman actually seen alongside the footballer is understood to be Yaëlle, widely known to be Real Madrid's star personal assistant, making the entire “mystery woman” framing fall apart on inspection.

Kylian Mbappe with his personal assisstant Yaelle in New York | X/@21metgala
Mbappe was with his assistant Yaelle and Mélissa Gateau, his sister in law on a luxury yacht off the shores of Isla Palominos | Instagram/@walteroteropr

To compound matters, no confirmed date has been attached to the photos, meaning the timeline linking them to his Expósito romance is pure assumption at this stage.

Where things actually stand with Expósito amid dating buzz

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Far from sneaking around, Mbappé and Expósito have been one of the most-watched new couples of 2026.

Kylian Mbappe and Ester Exposito appeared to kiss in new photos published by Hola magazine | Europa Press

Their first dates took place in late February in Madrid, with the romance going public in early March after photos emerged of the two stepping off a private jet together from Paris, where they had shared a luxury hotel.

Since then, the sightings have only multiplied. Mbappé was recently photographed picking up Expósito at her Madrid home, with the pair stopping for drinks before heading back to his residence in the Spanish capital.

He was welcomed into the ride by Spanish actress Ester Exposito amid dating rumours | Credit: X
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Ester Expósito is reportedly Kylian Mbappe's new girlfriend | IMAGO
Mbappe| IMAGO/PA

Expósito was also spotted in the VIP section of the Santiago Bernabéu during the Madrid derby, and when cornered by journalists at a Rosalía concert, she offered a telling smile when Mbappé’s name came up, insisting only that she was “great” and declining to comment further.

Neither has made an official statement confirming the relationship, but at this point the evidence is overwhelming, and the unverified NYC nightclub narrative doesn’t change any of it.

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