Just like he did with (seemingly) every other young player around the world, there was a time when Arsène Wenger came close(ish) to signing Kylian Mbappé, only for him to go somewhere else.
However, this time we aren’t talking about when the now Paris Saint-Germain forward was 14 and still a youth player.
No, this was far more recently, around a time when the France international burst onto the scene at Monaco and the whole world’s jaw dropped.
Winning the Kopa Trophy, which is basically the Ballon d’Or Jr., the 19-year-old was interviewed by France Football, where he was given 26 topics, each for a letter of the alphabet, with W being Wenger.
About the currently jobless manager, he said: “A real monument of French football who left Arsenal. I’ve not seen many people in the business praised so unanimously. When the whole of Europe is on their knees celebrating him, it obviously means something.
“A while ago, before I signed for PSG, we were in touch in 2017. I’d chosen a different path, and he didn’t hold it against me. He was a gentleman and wished me good luck.”
That will have been the summer Mbappé decided to swap Monaco for the French capital, joining the likes of Neymar and Edinson Cavani in a breathtaking strike force currently demolishing Ligue 1.
After scoring 21 goals and picking up 15 assists in his first season there, the youngster, who turns 20 at the end of the month, has so far found the back of the net 14 times in 15 appearances, as well as helping his teammates with seven decisive passes.
Oh, and he won the World Cup in the summer.
