Florentino Pérez says Kylian Mbappe ‘isn’t the Mbappe I wanted’ at Real Madrid

Pérez says Mbappe has changed

Florentino Pérez spoke out at length over the Kylian Mbappe transfer to Real Madrid that wasn’t.

The France star went from being on the verge of a move to Pérez’s club to signing a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain, and according to the longtime Real Madrid president, Mbappe changed along the way.

According to Pérez, PSG’s contract offer—which included extensive decision-making powers over club affairs—altered Mbappe’s mindset. Speaking to the El Chiringuito television show, Pérez said PSG “practically offered him not only to be the leader of the team, but also of the management. It was at that point that we saw it wasn’t the same Mbappe that we wanted to sign. He changed his dreams as a result of pressure… This Mbappe is not the Mbappe I wanted.”

Pérez added that he would not match contract terms that allowed for that kind of power in any one player. “At the moment we are no longer interested because no player in the history of Real Madrid has ever been above the club. We’re not going to make exceptions and risk mismanagement.”

However, in a move any sports executive would be proud of, Pérez made sure to keep the door open to a future move. “I have never said that it was finished forever between Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid. A lot of things can change in three years,” said Pérez.

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