Mbappe's Zidane ultimatum for Real Madrid

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:00 CDT
• 3 min read

The door remains open for Kylian Mbappe's transfer to Real Madrid, but he wants to play under Zinedine Zidane at the Santiago Bernabeu according to reports in Spain.

Mbappe came close to joining Real earlier this year before making a U-turn and signing an extension with PSG that made him the highest-paid footballer in the world before Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al Nassr.

Mbappe would have been playing under former Paris coach Carlo Ancelotti had he made the move, but Real might have had a better chance had Zidane - a three-time Champions League winner as los Blancos' manager between 2016 and 2018 - still been at the helm.

READ: Man Utd, Real Madrid on alert: Zidane wants club job with Deschamps extending

"Kylian would be delighted to wear a white jersey under one condition," report Defensa Central. "Mbappe want to fulfil a dream in parallel with one of his idols in Zinedine Zidane.

"Mbappe idolises 'Zizou' and would tell his friends that. His defence of Zidane recently also gave him away, revealing that he puts Zidane on a pedestal."

— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) January 8, 2023

What happened with Mbappe and Zidane?

Speculation was rife before the World Cup that Zidane would succeed Didier Deschamps as France coach after the tournament. But France got all the way to the final before being edged by Argentina on penalties.

READ: Real Madrid's astonishing €1 billion Mbappe offer

Deschamps' contract was subsequently extended until 2026, and French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet said he "wouldn't even have taken [Zidane's] call on the phone."

Mbappe - who scored a hat-trick in the final at Lusail Stadium - took exception to Le Graet's tone, and posted to his 11.4 million followers on Twitter that: "Zidane is France, we don't disrespect the legend like that."

Mbappe and Zidane still have time to combine. The former is 24, the latter a relatively young manager at 50, but whether that happens with Real Madrid, France or even PSG remains to be seen.