Jurgen Klopp Reveals the Secret Private Jet Chase for Kylian Mbappe That Ended in Disaster

Jurgen Klopp once flew a private jet in circles over the French Riviera trying to land Kylian Mbappe for Liverpool. It didn’t work. And the story, which the former Liverpool manager told to Magenta TV, is absolutely wild.

Klopp said the whole operation was basically a spy movie without the payoff. “We flew from Blackpool to Nice,” Klopp recalled. “In Nice, the entire Mbappe family boarded a private jet with five rooms. We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food. We couldn’t be seen. We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris!”

So Liverpool went full charm offensive, served the whole family a meal midair, and Mbappe still chose PSG. That has to sting a little.

Mbappe’s World Cup résumé keeps getting longer

At 27, Mbappe is already stacking up a World Cup legacy that’s tough to argue with. He broke through in 2018 as a teenager, scoring four goals including one in the final as France beat Croatia 4-2. That made him France’s youngest ever World Cup scorer at 19 years and 183 days.

Then 2022 happened. Mbappe scored eight goals in seven matches, won the Golden Boot, and dropped a hat-trick in the final against Argentina. That was the first World Cup final hat-trick since Geoff Hurst in 1966. France lost on penalties, but Mbappe was the best player on the field by a mile.

Now he’s at it again. France beat Morocco 2-0 in Boston to reach the semifinals. Mbappe missed a penalty early — a tame effort saved by Yassine Bounou — but bounced back immediately. He scored after halftime and set up Ousmane Dembele for the second goal. That’s eight goals and three assists in the tournament so far. He’s right in the mix for both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball.

Real Madrid got the club version

At club level, Mbappe ended last season as Real Madrid’s top scorer with 42 goals and 44 appearances. Madrid finished second in La Liga and didn’t win anything, which is basically a crisis by their standards. But Mbappe’s individual numbers were ridiculous.

For France, the focus stays on this World Cup run. With him driving the attack, a third straight final appearance feels very real. Klopp’s missed flight just makes for a better story now.