'What a pity' - Luis Enrique breaks silence on Kylian Mbappe's Real Madrid transfer as he reveals ex-PSG forward's true character in dressing room

After several windows of transfer speculation, World Cup winner Mbappe finally made his way to Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2024. He bid farewell to his homeland after reaching the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain and becoming a free agent.

He did not always see eye-to-eye with demanding Spanish coach Enrique, with the ex-Barcelona boss taking to dropping him at times. Mbappe was, however, a revelation for PSG across his seven years in the French capital, becoming the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.

Enrique has nothing but respect for the player and man that he spent one season working alongside at Parc des Princes, telling a new documentary from Movistar: “In Kylian's case, I met a wonderful player. A person of an exceptional personal level, which you rarely find when you arrive and see a player of that level. Human, affectionate, close. He is a wonderful player. What a pity he went to Madrid. Especially for us at the time. But life is also part of the game.

“I hope everything goes very well for him. I have nothing to reproach him for, he conditioned his departure. We always try to improve his virtues and cover his defects. He has always been very polite and respectful. Also his brother and his parents.”

Mbappe hit 256 goals for PSG through 308 appearances, having joined them in the same summer of 2017 that saw Neymar complete his record-breaking €222 million (£185m/$247m) transfer from Barcelona. The France international is now another ‘Galactico’ looking to earn hero status in Madrid.