Featured Image Credit: Tivibu Sports / Getty
Topics: Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Transfers, Achraf Hakimi, Football
Ryan Smart
Topics: Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Transfers, Achraf Hakimi, Football
Kylian Mbappe is expected to join Real Madrid after his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires next month - but many may not know that he has actually already played for the Spanish giants.
The France forward announced on Friday evening that he would be leaving Parc des Princes in a lengthy video statement posted to Twitter.
He said: "I will play my final game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.
"It's a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honour to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world, which allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure and to grow as a player, of course, by being alongside some of the best in history."
Mbappe joined PSG from Monaco in 2017, initially on a one-year loan deal before signing for a fee of €180 million - the most expensive transfer in history between two teams in the same league.
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He has won 14 trophies with Les Parisiens, establishing himself as one of the best players on the planet. On the international stage, he won the 2018 World Cup with France and was runner-up after an iconic final against Argentina four years later.
Mbappe was tipped for stardom from a young age, with Monaco signing him to their academy when he was just 14 years of age.
Prior to that, he was with the Clairefontaine academy, and the likes of Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Arsenal all showed interest in him.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, invited Mbappe for a tour of their academy facilities and invited him to train with their under-12 side.
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And a undated teamsheet from a game played by Real Madrid's Cadete [schoolboy] B side features the name of Mbappe, who is listed simply as 'Kylian'.
Eagle-eyed fans might also have spotted the name 'Achraf' on the same teamsheet - that being the first name of Mbappe's PSG team-mate and former Real Madrid academy graduate Achraf Hakimi.
The pair have been close friends since then, with Morocco international Hakimi telling PSG TV in November: "I'm forever grateful to him, because he helped me when I didn't speak the language and I didn't know anyone.
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"Yes of course, when you understand a team-mate on and off the field you feel very good with him, and it's even easier to play with him [Mbappe] given the calibre of the player.
"It's easy to play alongside him."