Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia surprised everyone! The soccer world witnessed a new trend emerge in the summer transfer window. The Portuguese superstar is responsible for sparking a flurry of big-name players who have relocated to the Gulf. But not everyone followed this exodus. One notable exception is Kylian Mbappe, who, as Thierry Henry suggests, may have single-handedly ‘saved the day’ by opting against treading the $500 million path blazed by CR7.

Mbappe rejecting Ronaldo’s path makes him a hero in the eyes of Thierry Henry

Kylian Mbappe Ditching Cristiano Ronaldo’s $500M Al Nassr Pathway ‘Saved the Day’ After Massive Saudi Exodus, Says Thierry Henry

Throughout the summer, Mbappe’s future was a subject of speculation. Aside from Real Madrid, Al Hilal also expressed their interest in signing the 24-year-old. The Riyadh side had even offered a mammoth $1 billion deal to the World Cup winner. Somehow, the player swiftly rejected the move and ended up staying in Paris.

Interestingly, his efforts to turn such an offer were duly noted by soccer pundit Thierry Henry. The Arsenal legend recently highlighted Mbappe snubbing the mouth-watering deal on the CBS Sports Golazo show. Henry first agreed with Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher’s remarks that despite the mass exodus, European soccer isn’t in “danger.”

Then he gave a shout out to Mbappe. He quoted, “I will mention Kylian. I think Kylian saved the day because if Kylian went then it would have been a bit different. I think a lot of people would have followed around his age and what he does represent, so I was happy that he didn’t go. You can understand some of the guys that won, what they won, at a certain age.”

Certainly, Henry is impressed with Mbappe for neglecting the oil money of the Saudi clubs. Although the French superstar had turned down such an offer, the latter was interested in moving to Real Madrid. But the La Liga side publicly rejected him.

Real Madrid handed Kylian Mbappe a straight NO

The relationship between Kylian Mbappe and PSG had created uncertainty during this transfer window. Mbappe’s refusal to extend his contract and PSG’s exclusion of him from the first-team squad raised hopes of a Real Madrid transfer. However, head coach Carlo Ancelotti’s statement made it clear that the club had no intentions of making additional signings, even if it meant signing the ever-famous Frenchman.

The coach said, “We will not sign any other player, it’s 100% over”. This decision could be due to PSG’s high asking price of $270 million for Mbappe. Or maybe the La Liga giants are considering waiting until the next season when he becomes a free agent. Regardless, the Mbappe-Madrid saga has faded away, at least for now. In all likelihood, their story will resume in the next transfer window again.