Zinedine Zidane recalls first memories of Kylian Mbappé

France national team coach Zinedine Zidane warmly recalled the moments he first met a 14-year-old Kylian Mbappé at the Real Madrid training ground years ago. The fact that the paths of these two football legends have crossed again at the national team level more than a decade later is generating great interest in the football world. According to Goal.com, their first meeting took place in the Spanish capital, and this relationship has now reached a whole new level. This is reported by Goal.com reports.

Years later, the two great figures are working together again in the French national team as coach and captain. Commenting ahead of the upcoming match against the Turkey national team, Zinedine Zidane admitted that during that small meeting in 2012, he could not have imagined that their paths would cross again in the national team in the future. According to him, there was no plan at the time, but the player's immense potential on the pitch was immediately apparent.

First visit to Madrid and childhood trials

Although the first interaction between Zidane and Mbappé, who is now the face of a new era of French football, did not last long at the time, it was of great importance. Many years later, even before Kylian Mbappé joined Real Madrid professionally in 2024, the Spanish club had made serious efforts to sign him. In 2012, the 14-year-old, a talented trainee at the Clairefontaine academy, was being pursued by Europe's leading clubs.

At that time, the Madrid side invited the teenage player and his family to Spain during the school holidays. During a one-week trial at the Valdebebas training ground, the Spanish giants pulled out all the stops, providing the young talent with a personal tour of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and the opportunity to interact with stars like Cristiano Ronaldo. Zinedine Zidane, who was working in the club's management at the time, personally introduced the young striker to the training facility and gave him a tour.

Monaco project and the final turning point

The transfer did not materialize in the end, as Mbappé and his family prioritized the development project at AS Monaco. Nevertheless, this short-term visit left a deep impression on both sides. The club's management understood even then that the young player was a unique talent.

Recalling the atmosphere of that period, Zinedine Zidane emphasized that everyone at the Madrid club was amazed by the young player's performance. Although the transfer did not happen then, the course of events that followed is well known to everyone. Today, the mentor-student relationship that began during that small trial period has reached an even higher level within the two-time world champions.