Former Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has shed light on Kylian Mbappe’s long held desire to play for Real Madrid Softfootball reports.
The Argentine coach, who managed the French superstar during his time at PSG, revealed that the forward had always dreamed of wearing the white shirt of Los Blancos even during his own reign in Paris.
The current USMNT boss was in the Parc des Princes dugout when Madrid first approached the Ligue 1 giants over a transfer for Mbappe in 2021, although PSG rejected their offer at that time.
According to a post on Fabrizio Romano’s Facebook page, Mauricio Pochettino reflected on how he and Kylian Mbappé navigated the constant transfer speculation linking the forward with Real Madrid in the summer of 2021.
The former PSG manager revealed that during his time coaching Mbappé, it was clear the striker’s eyes lit up at the thought of Madrid, describing it as his lifelong dream to one day represent the Spanish giants. The post reads:
Mauricio Pochettino: When I coached Kylian Mbappé at PSG, his eyes LIT UP for Real Madrid.
It was always his CHILDHOOD DREAM to play for the club.
At the time, speculation was at its peak, with Real Madrid going as far as making a massive €200 million bid for the then-22-year-old. Despite the offer, the move did not materialise, and Mbappe went on to renew his contract with PSG.
However, Mbappe realised his long-standing dream of representing Los Blancos as he completed a free transfer to Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2024.
The Argentine also praised Mbappe’s leadership qualities, making clear that the forward carries himself differently compared to other stars he shared a dressing room with at PSG.
Kylian Mbappe is currently with the France national team and was on the score sheet for Didier Deschamps’ side in their World Cup qualifiers victory against Ukraine on Friday. Les Bleus will return to action on Tuesday against Iceland while Ukraine travels to face Azerbaijan.
