Family friends of Mbappe: 'We once gave him a Milan shirt but...'

Nicola and Béatrice Riccardi, an Italian family who spent a lot of time with a young Kylian Mbappe, remembered their attempts to convince him to love Milan.

The pair live in Bondy, near Paris, and a young Mbappe spent much of his childhood with the pair before his football career kicked off. The Riccardi family are huge Milan fans and gave the young Frenchman a Rossoneri shirt with Robinho’s name on the back, as well as showing him lots of Italian football. Mbappe also claimed that if he ever played in Italy one day it would be for the Rossoneri.

Remembering their relationship with Mbappe, Nicola Riccardi commented on Mbappe’s jokes about Milan and his Real Madrid dreams.

“If Milan lost, however, he would make fun of us, as we did with him when Real lost. He always said he would play for Real Madrid and the French national team.”

Riccardi then spoke about the Paris Saint-Germain star’s future and his personal qualities.

“One thought was more of an honest career as a professional. Kylian, on the other hand, has always pursued his dreams with ambition. He is realising them all.

“Even though he said no to Real, in football everything goes fast and in a few years time he might really become the idol of the Bernabeu. We are proud of his path and the fact that he has never lost his head. Kylian is happy even with the little things.”

When France played in the Nations League final in Milan last autumn, Mbappe sent the Riccardi family a photo taken from the pitch of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, a sign of their long-standing relationship.