It’s pretty funny how the real reason Kylian Mbappé said no to Manchester United turned out.
Kylian Mbappé once reportedly turned down a chance to join Manchester United because he didn’t like how the team played under José Mourinho. Ryan Giggs confirmed that United had been watching the young French star even earlier when he was still a teenager at AS Monaco. Giggs said United decided not to go after Mbappé after their scouts had doubts. But two years later, reports suggested it was actually Mbappé himself who didn’t want to move to Old Trafford.
Mbappé wasn’t a fan of United’s style under Mourinho and dreamed of playing for Real Madrid instead. Now, eleven years later, he’s playing for the club he always wanted to join — and interestingly, he’s managed by the same coach whose style once put him off moving to Manchester.
Back in 2017, Mbappé had been on United’s radar, and there were talks about a potential transfer that summer. L’Équipe reported that the 18-year-old said privately he didn’t plan to join United while Mourinho was in charge because he didn’t like their style of play. He also thought getting playing time would be tough with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial already competing for his spot.
Mbappé preferred Real Madrid because he wanted to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and believed he would fit perfectly in the attacking team coached by Zinedine Zidane. Instead, Mbappé joined Paris Saint-Germain on loan that summer, which later became a permanent deal, before finally moving to Madrid in 2024. He’ll also get to work with Zidane, who is now the coach of the French national team.
Giggs also revealed that United had looked at Mbappé even earlier, when he was an assistant coach to Louis van Gaal. He said a local fan in France told him about Mbappé, and he asked United’s scouts to check him out.
Giggs shared a story about meeting a man named Lionel while in the south of France who said, “You have to watch this player, Kylian Mbappé.” A few weeks later, Lionel sent more details, and Giggs and another assistant went to see Mbappé play youth games with Monaco. They were amazed by his talent but when the scouts watched him in a game between Monaco and PSG, they weren’t fully convinced. In the end, United decided not to make a move.
It’s quite a journey for Mbappé, and now he’s fulfilling his dreams on and off the field!