It has been 13 years since their paths first crossed. At the time, it was just a friendly match between two young football hopefuls. Today, one is a global superstar, while the other has charted his path silently, climbing the ranks of professional football. This weekend, Kylian Mbappé is preparing to face one of his former teammates, in a duel where memories of yesteryear will meet the intensity of a La Liga duel.
Kylian Mbappé and his debut at Valdebebas
Back in 2012. Mbappé, then 14 years old, was living a waking dream. Invited by Real Madrid to participate in training within the Madrid academy, he made a strong impression. Alongside young local talents, he notably shared the field with a promising striker from the 1998 generation. Together, they formed the offensive duo of Cadete B during a friendly match. If the memories of this moment remained engraved in the minds of the observers present, the two players quickly took different directions.
A former teammate of Mbappé resurfaces: 13 years later, face to face.
Two very distinct trajectories
One became world champion and pillar of Paris Saint-Germain, while the other, Dani Gómez, continued his rise away from the spotlight. Playing for several Spanish clubs before establishing himself in La Liga, Gómez, now a striker for Valencia CF, is preparing to find Mbappé on the pitch.
The two players have never played together again since their meeting at Valdebebas, but this duel, 13 years later, revives memories of a time when their paths crossed for the first time.
A wink of destiny
The duel between Mbappé and his former teammate from 2012 symbolizes much more than a simple match: it is a wink from destiny, a nostalgic parenthesis at the heart of a sport in perpetual motion. Between childhood memories and current ambitions, this meeting will remind us that, even in football, certain links transcend the years.
