‘I’m a Ballon d’Or contender

Football has a ridiculous tendency to throw in some bizarre moments. Some of the most eye-catching, are ‘sliding doors’ moments. There are plenty of stories of this calibre from down the years. However, one of the most bizarres comes in the shape of Chelsea’s handling of a young Kylian Mbappe and their ultimate rejection of the future star.

Hindsight proves itself to be a particularly cruel mistress in this tale, as the west London football club ultimately fumbled the chance to sign the offensively gifted French World Cup winner and now Real Madrid bound superstar, because of his indifference to defending.

Mbappe Rejected by Chelsea at 13

The London club had reservations about his defensive abilities

While it is a bit sharp to brand the Blues as having missed a trick when rejecting a player of just 13, Mbappe’s talent was still screamingly obvious at this time – especially when one considers the impact and progress he’d made in the next handful of years.

Back in 2012, Mbappe’s skills with local club Bondy, from the suburb of the same name in Paris, earned him prying eyes from all around the continent. Chelsea were part of a growing list of admirers, and invited the young winger down to the Cobham Training Ground to have a trial and see if he could fit in with the youth teams.

While it was clear for some at the club that the player had a lot of fine attributes, the somewhat conservative nature of the English game and its defensive lens hindered things massively. Serge Daniel Boga, a Chelsea scout until 2014, explained via the Goal website:

Much to their respect, Chelsea’s youth coaches were approaching the situation through the view of what the player could offer the team. In contrast, with a broader knowledge of his skills, Mbappe’s mother knew of how he could benefit the team if he was incorporated as the star.

Although Mbappe would ultimately develop these team-centric skills that were missing in his brief Chelsea trial, his mum, Fayza Lamari, allegedly uttered the most iconic statement in regard to her son’s future career.

Mbappe’s career blossomed at a young age

Reading his mother’s statement again, it could be construed as, at the time, slightly conceited confidence. However, it was a simply brilliant belief in her son’s capabilities. Kylian’s mum clearly knew him best – and this presence of mind has always been something seen in the superstar’s play.

Now at 25, his quality has finally granted him a major move to Real Madrid, in a transfer that feels like an echo of Galactico glory from the early 2000s. However, Chelsea aren’t proven wrong in 2024. No, that time had already come as Mbappe’s ascent through the world of football had him looking like he’d completed the sport by the time he was barely in his 20s.

Mbappe began his senior club career in 2015 with Monaco, where he won the Ligue 1 title in the 2016–17 season. In 2017, aged 18, Mbappe signed for Paris Saint-Germain on an eventual permanent transfer worth €180 million, making him the second-most-expensive player and most expensive teenage player of all time.

With France, Mbappe’s raw ability has been obvious since his debut and again drives home the opportunity squandered by a defensively-minded Chelsea. He has 48 goals in 85 games, and he was a huge part of the team that won the World Cup in 2018.

His quality has been simply jaw-dropping, as many joked that he had completed football when he enjoyed an early peak in international football. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Mbappe became the youngest French player to score at a World Cup, as well as the second teenager, after Pele, to score in a World Cup final. He finished as the joint second-highest goalscorer as France won the tournament, while also winning the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player and French Player of the Year awards for his performances.

Back at club level, Mbappe won six Ligue 1 titles and four Coupe de France with PSG, in a spell that saw 308 appearances and reaped an unbelievable 256 goals before departing upon his contract expiry. Now placed happily in Madrid, Mbappe looks certain to kick on and throw his name firmly into the Ballon d’Or conversation. Perhaps too, he may land an illusive Champions League honour. Now a tad more mature, he has evolved and undertaken another responsibility – to lead a regrouping French international set-up after this summer’s Euro bow-out at the semi-final stages.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt.