Kylian Mbappé, the star forward of Real Madrid, revealed that his mother once urged him to sign for Liverpool while Jürgen Klopp was still managing the club, following his first visit to Anfield.
Currently a key player for Real Madrid, Mbappé is a recognized star, a contender for the Ballon d’Or this year, and the all-time top scorer in World Cup history. At 27, he is at the peak of his career, but back in 2017, when Klopp was just assembling his squad, Mbappé came close to joining Liverpool.
Jürgen Klopp had a conversation with Mbappé aboard a private plane and seemed to have convinced his mother that Liverpool was the right destination. At the time, Mbappé was playing for Monaco, yet he ultimately chose Paris Saint-Germain over Liverpool, staying in France until his move to Real Madrid in 2024.
In an interview with The Athletic, Mbappé reflected on the doubts he faced at 18 regarding his future.
“This was when I was playing for Monaco. I had to make a decision. And yes, I was close to moving to Liverpool. My mother was a big fan of Jürgen Klopp, and Liverpool was her favorite club. She wanted me to go there.
I didn’t listen to her because I wanted to play in my hometown—Paris. I didn’t want to leave the country before achieving something significant. But yes, my mother kept saying, ‘Liverpool—you’ll be there, playing at Anfield, it will be incredible for you.’ And I would say, ‘Okay!’
She went there for the initial negotiations. She visited the city, the stadium, met the people. She said, ‘It’s a wonderful club, everyone is so kind, it’s a family club, a big club.’
She fell in love with Anfield. She even watched several matches alone to soak up the atmosphere because she wanted to imagine me playing there. We talked about it constantly. ‘What do you think, Mom?’ She would say, ‘I think you should go to Liverpool.’ And I’d reply, ‘Okay, okay, okay!’ because Jürgen Klopp is an amazing coach. I met him, and we had a great relationship. I respected him a lot.
I remember we were flying on the plane, circling in the air, while he told me about his project. I said, ‘You don’t need to convince me. You are Jürgen Klopp, this is Liverpool, a great club, so of course, since I’m here, I’m interested. But I have other options, other projects—also very worthy.’
I told him, ‘Whatever decision I make, it will be the right one because these are some of the biggest clubs in the world.’ It’s a funny story. But in the end, I decided to join PSG because, for me—a person born and raised in Paris—there was nothing better than proving I could become a star in my hometown,” Mbappé recalled.
