How Real Madrid twice tried and failed to sign Kylian Mbappe
The inside story of how Real Madrid twice tried – and FAILED – to pull off a mega-money deal for Kylian Mbappe… so, will it be third time lucky this summer amid his contract stand-off with PSG?
- Real Madrid are set to make another push to land Kylian Mbappe this summer
- They have twice found themselves foiled in their desperate bid to acquire him
- Mbappe is not willing to sign an extension to commit to Paris Saint-Germain
Kylian Mbappe was just 13 when Jires Kembo made a decision that sent shockwaves through his family. More than a decade on, the trembles can still be felt.
By 2012, Kembo had begun to carve out a promising career, representing France Under-21s and with Rennes in the country’s top flight. But that summer, aged only 24, he headed for Abu Dhabi to join Al Ain.
The news, it’s said, left Mbappe in tears. His mother later told of his anguish and his promise: ‘He chose money over football,’ Mbappe said. ‘This is a mistake. I will never do the same.’ Kembo is Mbappe’s adopted brother.
When Mbappe reached a similar, vital juncture of his career, the crossroads had been replaced by a roundabout. He didn’t have to choose between money and football .The best decision for his pockets and his career could lead him to the same place.
But crucially, Kembo’s decision hardened the nose and the resolve of a kid who had been bred for the jagged edges of elite football from a very early age.
Kylian Mbappe stands as one of the most in-demand stars as he refuses to commit to PSG
This undated photo shows French footballing legend Thierry Henry with a young Mbappé
Fourteen year old Mbappé at home in his bedroom in Bondy, a suburb of Paris, adorned with photos of Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid have always known of his fondness for the club
Unlike other young players, Mbappe has long been shielded against outside opinion or undue influence.
Hence why he ended his youth career at Monaco. No matter that, as a child from the Paris suburb of Bondy, Mbappe would go to bed surrounded by a shrine to Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid.
Or that, as a teenager at France’s talent factory Clairefontaine, he would carry a lanyard which read: Chelsea FC. Even then, Mbappe had the pick of Europe’s elite clubs – and had visited some of the biggest – but he chose to launch his professional career in Monaco.
That same single-mindedness and grasp of destiny helps explain why, in 2017, Mbappe ended up at Paris Saint-Germain, rather than Real, too.
It was meant to be a dream realised. But the precise roots and reasons behind that move vary.
Some accounts centre around betrayal. Others include croissants and early morning knocks at the door.
All that is certain? Mbappe’s decision to snub Madrid that summer reflects a character who now stands as the most powerful player in football.
Six years on, Mbappe is again in the sights of Real and the world’s biggest clubs. He is again engulfed in accusations of betrayal and broken promises. And again he is primed to do exactly as he wants.
The basic facts of that 2017 transfer are these: Mbappe, then 18, signed with PSG on an initial season-long loan in a €145million deal that made him the second-most expensive player in history.
He had just helped Monaco win Ligue 1 and reach the Champions League semi-finals. He was already one of the most sought-after players in world football.
‘For any young person from the Paris region, it is often a dream to wear the red and blue jersey and experience the unique atmosphere of the Parc des Princes,’ said Mbappe, who had grown up in Bondy – just 12 miles from PSG’s home.
A young Mbappé is pictured with Portuguese mega-star Ronaldo in 2014, while wearing Real Madrid attire. Spanish giants have been left frustrated they still haven’t managed to get him
Mbappe wins the Kopa Trophy for best young player at the Ballon D’Or ceremony in 2018 as he continued to elevate to the top level, frustrating Real Madrid as they missed out on him
‘It was essential for French football that we keep and help develop such a great talent in our championship,’ added PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
DEJA VU FOR PSG
PSG went out of their way a year ago to convince Kylian Mbappe to stay in Paris and snub the admiring glances from Real Madrid.
Mbappe had ran his deal down and looked destined to head to Spain – only to perform a shock U-turn, penning a deal that was reportedly going to earn him £547m over three years (provided he took up the option it is now claimed he will not activate).
That meant that Mbappe was handed the biggest ever contract – which included a near £130m signing on bonus – for a sportsperson when he signed his new deal at PSG – and yet 12 months on he is again flirting with a move away.
The will-he-won’t-he saga between Mbappe and Madrid took hold in the summer of 2021 when the Spanish giants made their interest clear when they submitted a final bid of £154m.
Now PSG are in a bind and face the prospect of losing him for nothing if, as Mbappe tweeted, he is going to stay at the club next year and not agree to a new deal.
Once again, PSG are battling daily links for their star man to go to Real Madrid.
The forward’s age and ability meant that many within football always felt this move was just a ‘platform’ towards something bigger. That Mbappe would stay in Paris for a few years before heading to greater heights. Madrid, for instance.
There were only a couple of caveats: could PSG develop into Europe’s best team and therefore reduce the allure of leaving? The other question mark: would Mbappe fulfil his extraordinary promise or become – in the words of one source – just another Hatem Ben Arfa?
He more than held up his side of the bargain.
Hence why we are where we are, with Mbappe’s future again uncertain and Real Madrid lurking once more.
They thought they had their man in 2017 – at least according to one version of events.
That story goes like this: Mbappe wanted to stay at Monaco for at least another season and build on his initial success. But the club were keen to ‘cash in’ and so negotiated a deal – similarly eye-watering – with Madrid. Effectively behind the player’s back. When that proposal was put to Mbappe, he felt betrayed. And angry. Not at the prospect of joining Madrid but with the way the deal had been done.
‘For him to have chosen Monaco as a kid, when he could have gone anywhere – including Real Madrid or PSG – that was a big thing,’ says one source.
‘So four years later, to do that to him and his family – negotiating his future behind his back – even though he wouldn’t have been unhappy going to Real Madrid, that’s not the way he wanted things to be.’
So with Mbappe suddenly in the shop window, so PSG swooped. They were happy to pay similar money – that’s all that mattered to Monaco – while the player felt in control of his future once more.
A more colourful scene is painted by Luis Ferrer, a former scout at PSG. He recalls a triumph of hard work and skilled negotiations – against the odds. Of convincing speeches by then manager Unai Emery. Of early morning trips to the Mbappe home armed with croissants.
Then there is a more simple explanation: Mbappe and his family decided it was not the right time to join Madrid. When forced to pick between two clubs who pulled at his heartstrings, Team Mbappe chose to engage their head for the next stage of his career.
The forward signed a new bumper contract at PSG last summer after speculation he could leave for Spain – but he is now not willing to sign an extension with a year left on his deal
Florentino Perez (left) has spent years trying to bring Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu
PSG were stunned by Mbappe’s bombshell decision (above: club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi)
No doubt the truth is a blend of all three. Certainly it would not be out of character for Mbappe to be stubborn and forge his own path. Shrewd, sensible guidance has been a theme of his career, too.
Former team-mates recall a kid who had been moulded for the top level from a very young age by a small, tight-knit circle headed by his father (a football coach) and mother (former handball player).
They had already experienced professional football with Jires.
‘He was always prepared for this,’ one source says. ‘I think when he was 10 or 12, he knew what will happen to him.’
His background in the banlieues helped, too.
‘They were not a poor family but he still grew up on a council estate, where if you don’t stand up for yourself, stand your ground, the guys that you grew up with or live with or play football with in the street, they will eat you alive,’ another source says. ‘It’s the jungle.’
Those remain key assets in his career to this day, as he prepares for yet another transfer saga and another round of that same question: is now the time to choose Madrid, or somewhere else?
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