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SportsActive today · day 6

Mbappé recalls turning down Liverpool to play in his hometown Paris

The Real Madrid forward describes his mother's love of Anfield and Klopp's private-jet pitch in a new Athletic interview.

newest coverage 1h agosummary written 1d ago50 pieces10 likes & upvotes RedditNewswiresMastodonGoogle News

What to know

  • Mbappé was 18 and at Monaco in 2017 when Liverpool, led by Klopp, made a serious push to sign him via unusual methods including a private jet that flew in circles.
  • His mother visited Anfield, loved the club and atmosphere, and strongly advocated for him to join Liverpool.
  • Mbappé chose PSG instead because he wanted to establish himself as a star in his hometown Paris before leaving France.
  • Liverpool ultimately signed Mo Salah that summer and went on to win the Champions League with a different attack.

“I was close to Liverpool. My mum was a big fan of Jürgen Klopp and the favourite destination for my mum was Liverpool. She wanted me to go there.”

Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid forward · ESPN ↗ · Sep 21

Kylian MbappéKylian Mbappé Real Madrid forwardJürgen KloppJürgen Klopp Liverpool manager (2015–2024)Mbappé's mother Mbappé's family

Mbappé recalls turning down Liverpool to play in his hometown Paris
Yahoo Sports

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articles

Peak 19 pieces in two hours at Sep 22, 10 AM; 50 pieces over 6 days (41 articles · 6 posts · 3 comments) Sep 18, 12 AM — 3 pieces · 1 post · 2 comments — Reddit 3Sep 18, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 18, 4 AM — quietSep 18, 6 AM — quietSep 18, 8 AM — quietSep 18, 10 AM — quietSep 18, 12 PM — quietSep 18, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 18, 4 PM — quietSep 18, 6 PM — quietSep 18, 8 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — quietSep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — 10 pieces · 7 articles · 3 posts — Google News 5, Mastodon 3, Newswires 2Sep 22, 8 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 22, 10 AM — 19 pieces · 18 articles · 1 post — Newswires 13, Google News 5, Reddit 1Sep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Reddit 1Sep 22, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Yesterday, 2 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Yesterday, 4 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Yesterday, 6 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Yesterday, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Yesterday, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Yesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1 1
Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 2:55 AM ET
  1. 1

    Mbappé discusses Liverpool talks in new Athletic interview

    In an extensive interview with The Athletic, Mbappé offers detailed recollections of Liverpool's recruitment push and his family's enthusiasm, revealing how close he came to joining the Premier League club nine years earlier.

    “Liverpool really pulled out all the stops. We just flew in circles, talked with the family, and had a delicious meal.”
    — Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool manager · source
    1. 10 outlets How Kylian Mbappe joining Liverpool over PSG would've greatly benefitted Real Madrid

      first by LiveScore, 1d ago · also The Independent, The New York Times, This Is Anfield, Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated, BBC Football +3

      9 more headlines
    2. 1 outlet Mbappé details Liverpool's attempts to sign him

      first by ESPN Soccer, 1d ago

    • pikesley@mastodon.me.uk

      The three-week international break has left the BBC *really* scraping the barrel for # football stories https://www. bbc.co.uk/sport/football/artic les/c68042y9l4kno https://www. bbc.co.uk/sport/football/artic les/c6y8zp2v1zl4o

      pikesley@mastodon.me.ukMastodon21h agoview on Mastodon ↗
    1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch

    • But the fee in question was paid after Trent already signed pre-contract agreement with Real. Usually the clubs have to agree on a transfer fee before the buying club can talk details with the player.

      raskinimiugovorr/soccer1d agoview on r/soccer ↗
    all of them →
  2. background

    Mbappé joins Paris Saint-Germain instead of Liverpool — Despite his mother's preference and Liverpool's extensive courtship, Mbappé chose PSG, citing his desire to prove himself as a star in his hometown Paris rather than leave France before establishing himself.

  3. background

    Mbappé's mother visits Anfield and advocates for Liverpool move — Mbappé's mother attended matches at Anfield and visited the stadium, convinced of Liverpool's merits as a family club under Klopp. She pushed her son toward the Merseyside club throughout negotiations.

  4. background

    Liverpool pursue 18-year-old Mbappé with private-jet pitch from Klopp — Liverpool's recruitment team, led by manager Jürgen Klopp, conducted talks with Mbappé on a private jet that flew in circles to avoid being spotted. The club engaged extensively with Mbappé's family as he weighed offers from Europe's top clubs.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets Kylian Mbappé reveals having been ‘close’ to Liverpool before moving to PSG

    first by Yahoo Sports, 1d ago · also The Irish Times

    4 more headlines
  2. 2 outlets Kylian Mbappe speaks on Michael Olise’s links with Real Madrid: ‘Every club would love to have him’

    first by Yahoo Sports, 1d ago · also Sports Illustrated

    1 more headline

and 5 smaller pieces

What people are saying 5 voices from 2 sites · best of 7 · verbatim