Kylian Mbappe is trying to leave PSG again. And again in “Real”, because there are no other contenders for one of the best players in the world. But does Madrid really need him?
Why he leaves PSGFrom the very first steps, the relationship between Kylian and the Parisian club did not look normal. From the very beginning, the young forward demanded a large salary, bonuses and all kinds of preferences. «PSG» often went to meet the young star and gave him stunning sums. The Arab sheikhs did not skimp on the salaries of their players, Mbappe was no exception in this scheme.
Peak insane spending reached last year. Kilian, it seems, finally agreed with Real Madrid, for which he dreamed of playing since childhood. However, PSG offered Mbappe a contract worth 100 million euros with a signing bonus of 300 million — that kind of money is not refused. But the main thing is that in Paris they were ready to make the striker the face of the club, its main star.
However, the past year has not lived up to Kilian's expectations. A fabulous first half of the season turned into a Champions League failure in the winter. The trio with Neymar and Messi broke up. The Brazilian received another injury and can hardly be considered a world-class star, while the Argentine got tired of Paris and left for the USA. At the same time, PSG did not make a bet on the French striker in a year.
Mbappé did not wait and notified the club that he would not activate the contract extension option next summer. At the same time, he insists that he is going to spend the 2023/24 season in Paris. But this time, the PSG bosses did not persuade Kilian and throw money at him, but put the rebellious striker on the transfer.
At the moment, there is no queue of people who want to buy one of the best players in the world. There are only a few clubs that can pull his salary, and the constant begging for money from PSG alarms potential applicants — no one needs scandalous footballers, even if they are in the status of a superstar. The only one who is ready to fight for Kilian is Real Madrid, but the “creamy” are behaving cautiously, remembering the failure of the transition a year ago.
Do Real Madrid need Mbappe at all? Journalist François Gallardo reported on social media that Real Madrid had already paid for Mbappe's transfer from PSG. The amount of compensation for the 2018 world champion was 224 million euros, and PSG will receive up to 56 million as a bonus. Thus, the transfer of Mbappe will be a record in the history of football and will bypass the transfer of the Brazilian Neymar from Barcelona to PSG (222 million).
I must admit that this is a great way out of the situation for a football player. The Paris club is no match for Madrid in terms of status, and the current PSG is hardly capable of winning the Champions League. Moving to the greatest club will take Mbappe one step closer to the Golden Ball and the title of the best player in the world. But is the Frenchman really needed by Real Madrid?
The departure of Karim Benzema has seriously hit the attacking potential of the “creamy”. So far, Madrid have not found any replacement for the key striker — and there is no such player who could replace Benzema. There are rumors that Carlo Ancelotti plans to play without a clean forward at all, using Vinicius and Rodrigo in the front line.
In such a situation, “Real”, of course, may come in handy one of the best forwards in the world. However, there are questions about its correct use. Still, Mbappe is not Benzema at all in terms of style of play. He is much less focused on playing along with partners and much more focused on finishing attacks. Players who have been playing for a long time in Madrid will have to adapt to Kylian, which will entail structural changes in the team as a whole.
Kilian is very reliant on his speed and is most dangerous in free space. Benzema often dropped into the zone between the lines and participated in combinations, while Mbappe is more inclined to use the space behind the backs of the defenders. Therefore, the Madrid midfielders will have to change the way they develop attacks and aggravate the game.
In addition, Mbappe tends to move to the left flank, where Vinicius plays at Real Madrid. The Brazilian had a great rapport with Benzema and has progressed so much over the past couple of seasons that he is seen as a real contender for the Ballon d'Or. Whether Kylian will be able to find common ground with Vinicius, or whether the Frenchman will pull the blanket over himself, trying to become the main star of the team, is a big question.
Mbappe's move only seems to be an absolute win for the Madrid club. The management of the club, the coaching staff and the whole team will have to make a lot of efforts to make this union more successful than Kylian's union with PSG. And the Frenchman himself must finally put the interests of the club above his own. And then success will come to Real Madrid and to him.