Superstar Mbappé and Real Madrid: He should be the new Cristiano Ronaldo

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Kylian Mbappé has been directly involved in 157 goals over the past three seasons

Photo:

Philippe LECOEUR / imago images / PanoramiC

Shortly before his 14th birthday, Kylian Mbappé flew to Madrid.

Real had invited him to train with the royal team.

After his arrival at the training center, Zinédine Zidane stood in front of him, France's former exceptional footballer was meanwhile the sports director of the Madrilenians.

Zidane pointed to his car.

"Get in," he said to Mbappé, he wanted to drive the boy to the training ground.

Mbappé froze.

"Should I take off my shoes?" He asked.

Mbappé described this anecdote in a post on the »Players Tribune« platform last year.

It shows the fascination, the zidans, that Real Madrid exert on young players.

It shows how talented Mbappé was even as a teenager.

And how long the Spaniards have followed the path of the 22-year-old today.

It seems like the club and the players are coming together today, more than eight years later.

Mbappé is now one of the best footballers in the world.

He is part of an offensive near Paris Saint-Germain that is supposed to be the best in history.

Neymar and Lionel Messi storm by his side.

Or rather, they should storm.

Now it looks like Messi is not Mbappé's new partner, but his successor.

Real Madrid have offered 160 million euros according to media reports.

PSG refused.

According to "L'Équipe", club boss Nasser Al-Khelaifi's pain threshold is 200 million euros.

It looks like they'll come to an agreement.

There is time until Tuesday, August 31st, as long as the transfer window is open.

Mbappé is Real Madrid's dream player.

Real Madrid are considered to be Mbappé's dream club, who once adored the Madrid club icons Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo.

And Paris?

Can't really afford the French to stay.

Because Mbappé's contract expires in summer 2022.

He could then go on a free transfer.

Against this background, Real's offer is absurd.

160 million euros for one season?

It's actually not worth a player.

So why doesn't Real just wait?

The Real Madrid myth is also based on the club's steel power.

To Real get a player when they really want him.

And that the very best of all footballers wears the white jersey.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who came from Manchester in 2009 for 94 million euros and shot the club to four Champions League titles.

Or the era of the Galácticos, with Luis Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham.

High profile times in Madrid: David Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and Iván Helguera in 2003

Photo: JAVIER SORIANO / AFP

Recently, however, the best footballers have played elsewhere: in Barcelona, ​​in Manchester, but above all in Paris, which thanks to Qatari money was able to sign star players even when the pandemic led to losses at clubs around the world.

Mbappé is Real's chance to retain the likely formative footballer of the coming years.

The striker wouldn't just be Madrid's new star player.

He would be the face of the club, just as Cristiano Ronaldo was between 2009 and 2018.

A player who would score goals, yes, but more than that, he would show that Real still attracts the biggest names.

That the traditional club can still outdo the PSGs and Manchester Citys of the world.

Mbappé's commitment would therefore also be a symbol.

Real can afford the transfer.

The club have been sparing to sign Mbappé.

So far, Madrid have not paid any transfer fees, with the departures of Raphael Varane and Martin Ødegaard, for example, and the club took in a total of almost 80 million euros.

Last season Real even made a transfer plus of around 100 million euros.

And the squad was not cheap to maintain at around 450 million euros a year.

Measured by the club's turnover, which, according to the Deloitte Money League, was around 760 million euros last season, but not too expensive.

So the money for Mbappé would be there.

"That is disrespectful and unacceptable"

The question is whether Mbappé will make Real Madrid a Champions League winner again. In the short term, the answer is probably "no". Because the Madrid squad needs reinforcements in midfield, where Toni Kroos, 31, and Luka Modrić, 35, have barely 40 to 50 top-level games. Or right-back position. There Real let go of top talent Achraf Hakimi last season. PSG has since bought it for 60 million euros.

What Mbappé brings is not just a big boost to the image of the Real Madrid brand. He relieves Karim Benzema, who has been almost solely responsible for goals since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure. In the past three seasons Mbappé had 53, 48 and 56 goal participations. These are Ronaldo Spheres. Seen in this way, Real would have found the successor for the Portuguese in Mbappé three years late.

But before that happens, many more million will have to be offered.

On Wednesday afternoon, PSG sports director Leonardo commented in detail on the Mbappé cause.

"Our position is always the same: we want to keep and extend Kylian," he said.

He cursed Real Madrid that the club's behavior was "disrespectful and unacceptable" and that it was completely inadmissible to make an offer for Mbappé so shortly before the end of the transfer window.

"This offer is not enough," concluded Leonardo.

But a higher offer?

That could be enough.