"I never thought I'd play with him" - Kylian Mbappe says he feels 'lucky' to have played alongside Lionel Messi for one key reason

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has revealed that he feels lucky to have been teammates with Lionel Messi during the Argentine's career. The France international shared a pitch with the Barcelona legend for two years, winning the French Ligue 1 on each occasion.

Mbappe spoke with Movistar Futbol from the French national team camp, revealing that he never thought he would be opportune to play alongside Lionel Messi. He explained that his dream was to play for Real Madrid, and he knew Messi's Barcelona affiliations meant he would never join Los Blancos, thus making it impossible to play together.

“I was lucky to be able to play with Leo Messi. I never thought I’d play with him because my dream was always Real Madrid, I never thought about joining Barcelona in my life", he said (via @MadridXtra on X).

Kylian Mbappe harboured dreams of representing Real Madrid from his childhood and eventually made it to the club after spells with AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France. He played alongside Lionel Messi at the Parc des Princes, with Neymar joining in to form a star-studded attacking line-up.

Messi shockingly moved to Paris from Barcelona in 2021 after his contract with the Spanish giants reached its end. He became a key creative player for the team, granting Mbappe licence to focus more on scoring goals, with the Frenchman scoring 80 times in 89 games across two seasons.

Mbappe and Messi famously faced off as opponents in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar despite being teammates at PSG. Both players found the net in the game, but the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner led Argentina to win the title. Mbappe left PSG in the summer of 2024 and achieved his dream of playing for Real Madrid after years of speculation.

What Lionel Messi said to Kylian Mbappe about Real Madrid move: Reports

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe were teammates in a star-studded PSG team between 2021 and 2023, and developed a close relationship during this period. Reports indicate that Messi gave advise to Mbappe on his future as he closed in on his own exit from the French outfit in the summer of 2023.

According to Defensa Central, Messi told Mbappe back in 2023 of his preference for the Frenchman to move to Barcelona, instead of Real Madrid. He did point out, however, that he was in support of Mbappe moving to Madrid if it was what he truly wanted, as he deserved a winning project.

"I prefer you go to Barça, but if you want to go to Madrid, do it. You deserve a truly winning project", Messi said.

Kylian Mbappe followed the club of his dreams, signing for Real Madrid and featuring at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The forward won the Pichichi and European Golden Shoe in his debut season at the Spanish giants, and has been in sensational form this season, too.

Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen