PHOTOS

From Kylian Mbappe to Steven Gerrard: Top players who rejected Real Madrid

French forward Kylian Mbappe turned his back on Real Madrid and his decision has shocked the football world on a next level. However, Mbappe is not the first to turn down the legendary Spanish club and here we bring you some other players who have chosen to stay where they were instead of Real Madrid calling them.

Zee Media Bureau|

Updated:May 22, 2022, 07:36 PM IST

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Luis Suarez (Current club - Atletico Madrid)

Los Blancos were keen to sign the former FC Barcelona and that time Liverpool forward Luis Suazez back in 2014 but he rejected their offer. Suarez had plans of own and instead of signing for Madrid, he joined arch-rivals FC Barcelona.

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Gianluigi Buffon (Current club - Parma)

Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon currently plays for Serie B club Parma. In 2006, Juventus were relegated to Serie B from Serie A and Madrid wanted to sign the Italian goalkeeper. Despite the relegation of Juventus, Buffon decided to stay and turned down Madrid's offer.

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Marco Verratti (Current club - PSG)

The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was called up by Real Madrid in 2016. However, the Italian decided to stay at PSG explaining his desire was to win trophies at the French club. "I want to win things with PSG," said Verrati to RAI Sport, during the time when Real Madrid were interested in signing him.

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Paul Pogba (Current club - Manchester United)

Pogba was in the transfer list for Madrid playing at Juventus in 2016. The France midfielder joined Manchester United instead of Real Madrid, he revealed that his heart said Man United instead of Madrid as United was his childhood club, as per Beyond the Pitch podcast.

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Steven Gerrard (Current status - Manager of Aston Villa)

Being the captain of a legendary club like Liverpool means an individual has to ignore temptations and Steven Gerrad did the same. He explained his decision to stay at Liverpool saying "I am a big fan of Madrid, they are a special club, but for me, Liverpool are my number one club".

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Kylian Mbappe (Current club - PSG)

In 2017, Kylian Mbappe was signed by Paris Saint-Germain where later on he became a sensation in the footballing world with his goalscoring ability and fanatic skils. Before signing for PSG, the French rejected Real Madrid and Manchester City saying he felt that PSG had more oppurtunities for him to play regular football. In 2022, he has again turned down Madrid's offer by signing an extension contract with PSG until 2025.