How Real Madrid twice tried and failed to sign Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe was just 13 when Jires Kembo made a decision that sent shockwaves through his family. More than a decade on, the trembles can still be felt.

By 2012, Kembo had begun to carve out a promising career, representing France Under-21s and with Rennes in the country's top flight. But that summer, aged only 24, he headed for Abu Dhabi to join Al Ain.

The news, it's said, left Mbappe in tears. His mother later told of his anguish and his promise: 'He chose money over football,' Mbappe said. 'This is a mistake. I will never do the same.' Kembo is Mbappe's adopted brother.

When Mbappe reached a similar, vital juncture of his career, the crossroads had been replaced by a roundabout. He didn't have to choose between money and football .The best decision for his pockets and his career could lead him to the same place.

But crucially, Kembo's decision hardened the nose and the resolve of a kid who had been bred for the jagged edges of elite football from a very early age.

Unlike other young players, Mbappe has long been shielded against outside opinion or undue influence.

Hence why he ended his youth career at Monaco. No matter that, as a child from the Paris suburb of Bondy, Mbappe would go to bed surrounded by a shrine to Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid.

Or that, as a teenager at France's talent factory Clairefontaine, he would carry a lanyard which read: Chelsea FC. Even then, Mbappe had the pick of Europe's elite clubs – and had visited some of the biggest – but he chose to launch his professional career in Monaco.

That same single-mindedness and grasp of destiny helps explain why, in 2017, Mbappe ended up at Paris Saint-Germain, rather than Real, too.

It was meant to be a dream realised. But the precise roots and reasons behind that move vary.

Some accounts centre around betrayal. Others include croissants and early morning knocks at the door.

All that is certain? Mbappe's decision to snub Madrid that summer reflects a character who now stands as the most powerful player in football.

Six years on, Mbappe is again in the sights of Real and the world's biggest clubs. He is again engulfed in accusations of betrayal and broken promises. And again he is primed to do exactly as he wants.

The basic facts of that 2017 transfer are these: Mbappe, then 18, signed with PSG on an initial season-long loan in a €145million deal that made him the second-most expensive player in history.

He had just helped Monaco win Ligue 1 and reach the Champions League semi-finals. He was already one of the most sought-after players in world football.

'For any young person from the Paris region, it is often a dream to wear the red and blue jersey and experience the unique atmosphere of the Parc des Princes,' said Mbappe, who had grown up in Bondy – just 12 miles from PSG's home.

'It was essential for French football that we keep and help develop such a great talent in our championship,' added PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

The forward's age and ability meant that many within football always felt this move was just a 'platform' towards something bigger. That Mbappe would stay in Paris for a few years before heading to greater heights. Madrid, for instance.

There were only a couple of caveats: could PSG develop into Europe's best team and therefore reduce the allure of leaving? The other question mark: would Mbappe fulfil his extraordinary promise or become – in the words of one source – just another Hatem Ben Arfa?

He more than held up his side of the bargain.

Hence why we are where we are, with Mbappe's future again uncertain and Real Madrid lurking once more.

They thought they had their man in 2017 – at least according to one version of events.

That story goes like this: Mbappe wanted to stay at Monaco for at least another season and build on his initial success. But the club were keen to 'cash in' and so negotiated a deal – similarly eye-watering – with Madrid. Effectively behind the player's back. When that proposal was put to Mbappe, he felt betrayed. And angry. Not at the prospect of joining Madrid but with the way the deal had been done.

'For him to have chosen Monaco as a kid, when he could have gone anywhere – including Real Madrid or PSG – that was a big thing,' says one source.

'So four years later, to do that to him and his family – negotiating his future behind his back – even though he wouldn't have been unhappy going to Real Madrid, that's not the way he wanted things to be.'

So with Mbappe suddenly in the shop window, so PSG swooped. They were happy to pay similar money – that's all that mattered to Monaco – while the player felt in control of his future once more.

A more colourful scene is painted by Luis Ferrer, a former scout at PSG. He recalls a triumph of hard work and skilled negotiations - against the odds. Of convincing speeches by then manager Unai Emery. Of early morning trips to the Mbappe home armed with croissants.

Then there is a more simple explanation: Mbappe and his family decided it was not the right time to join Madrid. When forced to pick between two clubs who pulled at his heartstrings, Team Mbappe chose to engage their head for the next stage of his career.

No doubt the truth is a blend of all three. Certainly it would not be out of character for Mbappe to be stubborn and forge his own path. Shrewd, sensible guidance has been a theme of his career, too.

Former team-mates recall a kid who had been moulded for the top level from a very young age by a small, tight-knit circle headed by his father (a football coach) and mother (former handball player).

They had already experienced professional football with Jires.

'He was always prepared for this,' one source says. 'I think when he was 10 or 12, he knew what will happen to him.'

His background in the banlieues helped, too.

'They were not a poor family but he still grew up on a council estate, where if you don't stand up for yourself, stand your ground, the guys that you grew up with or live with or play football with in the street, they will eat you alive,' another source says. 'It's the jungle.'

Those remain key assets in his career to this day, as he prepares for yet another transfer saga and another round of that same question: is now the time to choose Madrid, or somewhere else?