For more than a decade Kylian Mbappé was the subject of repeated interest from Real Madrid. Finally, Los Blancos got their man in the summer of 2024 but they nearly lost out another star five years earlier.
In 2019, when Mbappé started to contemplate a move away from Paris, the French side attempted to launch a counter-offensive with a deal for Vinícius Junior.
At the time the PSG hierarchy reportedly felt that Neymar was the most important player for the team and they considered trying to use Mbappé to lure Vinícius to the French capital. PSG sporting director Leonardo was particularly keen on the deal. He hoped that PSG could gain Vinícius and a decent amount of cash in return for Mbappé.
The then-PSG chief considered Vinícius to be “a future world star” at a time when he had not yet exploded into the global consciousness. Five years on Vinícius and Mbappé are roughly equals, with the Brazilian holding two Champions League titles to his name with Real Madrid.
But even back then Florentino Pérez, who knew the forward’s potential firsthand, was extremely reluctant to part with Vinícius and negotiations never progressed. In addition, Qatar, specifically Al Khelaïfi, were reportedly opposed to getting rid of one of the mainstays of the project, Mbappé.
A budding star in 2019, Vinícius knocked down every door and PSG remained interested in signing him beyond that point but there was never any concrete offer. The push from within PSG to trade Mbappé for Vinícius came from Leonardo, who publicly said of Mbappé: “We will sell him, but under our terms.”
However Mbappé renewed his contract in 2022 and Leonardo left the club, ending any real possibility of an Mbappé-Vinícius trade. His successor, Luis Campos, did not deny that he was interested in Vinícius at the time but by that point Vinícius’ star has risen to such a level that he was considered absolutely central to Real Madrid.
The landscape has shifted significantly since those first rumors in 2019. PSG are now the Champions League holders, paradoxically achieved without Kylian Mbappé, and they face Real Madrid on Wednesday in a match that will help to color how world soccer continues. If the PSG can add the Club World Cup to their recent Champions League triumph, they will have shown that that they did not need either Mbappé nor Vinícius to arrive at the top table of the game.
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