Mbappe confirms Beckham has lobbied him 'many times' over MLS switch

Kylian Mbappe has confirmed that David Beckham has made multiple personal approaches to convince him to move to MLS, with the Real Madrid forward saying the Inter Miami co-owner has “mentioned it many times.” The revelation came during France’s 2026 World Cup campaign in the United States, where Mbappe has scored twice in each of his side’s opening Group I victories over Senegal and Iraq.

Those four goals lifted Mbappe above Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time leading scorer, and he now has 16 World Cup goals in total — a tally surpassed only by Lionel Messi. The timing of Beckham’s interest is notable: Messi himself is thriving at Inter Miami, the MLS club Beckham co-owns, having joined in July 2023.

Asked directly whether he could see himself playing in MLS, Mbappe was candid. “We’ll see,” he said. “David Beckham has mentioned it to me many times. American culture is different, there are no limits to ambition, and I like that.”

The 27-year-old arrives at this tournament on the back of a turbulent end to his domestic season at Real Madrid. He was booed by the Santiago Bernabéu crowd on his return from a hamstring injury after photographs emerged of him on holiday in Sardinia during his recovery. A petition calling for the club to sell him attracted more than 95 million signatures, despite Mbappe having scored 42 goals in all competitions last term. He remains under contract at Madrid until 2029.

Beckham’s connection to both clubs Mbappe has played for — he had spells at Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain — gives the approach an added layer of credibility, and Mbappe’s openness to the idea will inevitably fuel speculation about his long-term future in Europe.

For now, though, Mbappe’s focus is firmly on the World Cup. He has already shown a lighter side to his personality in the United States, celebrating his opener against Senegal by miming playing a flute — a suggestion made to him by chat show host James Corden when Mbappe appeared on his After Hours programme.

France’s next assignment is a heavyweight Group I decider against Norway and Erling Haaland on Friday evening, with top spot in the group at stake.