Mbappé Reveals Near Move to Liverpool on His Mother’s Advice

Kylian Mbappé’s career reads like a script: breakout star at AS Monaco, global icon at Paris Saint-Germain, and now the white shirt of Real Madrid on his back. At 27, he is exactly where many expected him to be.

But it could have looked very different. Very red, in fact.

Speaking to The Athletic, the 2018 World Cup winner revealed he came close to joining Liverpool FC during his Monaco days, just before committing his future to PSG – and the push came from inside his own home.

"My mum's favourite destination was Liverpool; she wanted me to go there," Mbappé said. "There was a time, when I was at Monaco, when I had to make a decision and I was close to joining Liverpool. My mum was a big fan of Jürgen Klopp, and he's an amazing manager. I met him and I have a wonderful relationship with him. I have great respect for him."

The scene almost writes itself: Klopp, already building his legend at Anfield, sitting down with Europe’s most exciting young forward, trying to sell him the Liverpool project. The admiration was real on both sides. The bond with Klopp still clearly matters to Mbappé.

The move never happened.

When the moment of truth arrived, emotion pulled in another direction.

"I didn't listen to (my mum). I wanted to go to my city, Paris. I wanted to play in my own country. I didn't want to leave my country."

So he chose PSG. Chose home. Chose the capital.

Paris paid €180 million to bring him from Monaco, a figure that underlined the scale of the bet. Mbappé repaid it with numbers that now define an era. Across seven seasons in the capital, he became PSG’s all-time leading goalscorer, racking up 256 goals and 110 assists in 308 matches, while stacking domestic trophies with Les Rouge et Bleu.

Liverpool were left with the great what-if. PSG got their superstar. Real Madrid now have the finished product.

One decision, one fork in the road – and an entire chapter of modern football history written in different colours.