Real was Mbappe’s destiny: The first acquaintance at 14 and the first negotiation at 19

THE Kylian Mbappe it’s from yesterday in all seriousness a Real player. A transfer that seemed a matter of time to happen. Not just in the last few months or the last 1-2 years, but before the French star even came of age…

Marca reveals the story of a collaboration that seemed destined to be completed. It all started him December 2012when as a present for his 14th birthday, Mbappe’s parents gifted him a trip to Madrid and surprised him with a visit to Real’s training ground, where met two of his idols, Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo!

Almost four and a half years later, Mbappe was already in the sights of Real. The summer of 2017Mbappe, then 19 years old, had burst into the limelight scoring 26 goals and 8 assists in 44 appearances leading the Monaco in winning the championship after 17 years. He had been selected in the best eleven of the Champions League, he had been voted the best young player in Europe and he had already made his debut with the national team of France. At June 14, 2017, Mbappe’s father, Wilfried, met with a top Real executive in a Paris hotel. The footballer has been offered a six-year contract worth €7m per year, with the possibility of another year at Monaco on loan.

The seed had already been planted to make the collaboration happen, however things were not that simple… Groups like the Manchester City and the Paris they passed on the footballer and his father as Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery both wanted him in their squads. So although Real finally came to an agreement with Monaco to buy him for 150 million euros (plus another 30 million as a bonus), the transfer was not completed, as the player’s side estimated that with the triple Benzema-Ronaldo-Bale there would be no room for him to show his worth in the team that had just won (in 2017) the 12th Champions League and the 33rd championship of Spain.

Mbappe didn’t want to return to Monaco like that Paris took advantage of the opportunity and she made him hers with a special formula. Having already spent €222m that summer to buy Neymar from Barcelona, ​​he also managed to get Mbappe on a one-year loan and mandatory purchase in 2018 for €180m.

That’s how Mbappe ended up in Paris, but he wasn’t to stay for long. Although in 2022 his stay in Paris while he seemed closed by Real surprised everyone, two years destiny is fulfilled and the French superstar, now 25, will wear white from now on.