By Staff Writer: Alan Darnold
Real Madrid have an opportunity to propel themselves back to the premier force in world football this summer. Should Real Madrid pounce on Mbappe though? I believe that the answer is yes, they should. Real Madrid are possibly the biggest sports brand in the world, in any sport. Mbappe is the biggest name in European football. This makes the match seem perfect. By signing him, Madrid can reach the level of their glory years again. In my opinion this makes it a risky decision but a risky decision that has way more potential upside than potential downside. Kylian Mbappe has been one of the biggest names in the sport since he burst onto the scene at age 17. Since then he has been the center of attention.
He is now 25. We have watched Mbappe grow up in front of our eyes. We have seen his personality change over time. His new personality traits are labeled as “selfish” and “childish”. Why has he been labeled as these things though? During a game in the French league in 2023, PSG were tied 3-3 with Strasbourg. Mbappe got a through ball and had a chance to pass to his wide open teammate, Lionel Messi, and win the game with the time almost out. Instead of taking the easy pass to Messi, Mbappe tried to be a hero by taking a more difficult shot and he missed. The game ended 3-3.
If Mbappe made the simple pass, PSG would have won that game. Real Madrid have been trying to sign Mbappe since he was a 17 year old playing for Monaco in France. Mbappe rejected them for PSG when he was 18. For the last couple years, Mbappe has kept saying that he wants to leave PSG for Madrid. He has said it openly in the middle of a season multiple times and has still not signed for them yet. If he is willing to say he wants to leave his current team in the middle of a season why will he not do the same thing at Madrid? The biggest reason to not sign Mbappe is his threat to Madrid’s team chemistry. Why should Madrid sign him though?
Kylian Mbappe has been regarded as one of the best players in the world for 3-4 years now. So he has been considered in this status since he was in his early 20’s. Mbappe signed for Paris Saint-Germain when he was 18 years old. Since then he has grown into a superstar and has been the leading catalyst for PSG winning 5 league titles and other French cups. He proved to the world that he can be the best player on a league winning team. A player like Mbappe, who can win a game single handedly, is someone who can push you over the top and help you win a game or a tournament you wouldn’t have been able to without him. Sometimes you just need a special moment. Mbappe is special. In 2018 the World Cup took place. Mbappe was 18 years old at the time.
Mbappe was arguably France’s best player throughout the entire tournament. The World Cup ended with France lifting the trophy with Mbappe scoring in the final and being named the “Best Young Player of the Tournament”. The world cup is the hardest trophy to win in soccer and Mbappe was one of the most important players on a World Cup winning team at just 19 years old. This shows even more how special Mbappe is and how he can help lead a team to the promised land. Signing Mbappe this summer is as low risk as it will ever be for Real Madrid. Mbappe runs out of contract with PSG this summer, this means that Madrid can sign him without having to pay PSG hundreds of millions of dollars for him. They will only have to pay his salary. Is it worth the risk still though?
Madrid took a huge risk on a player named Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009, who was talked about the same way Mbappe is talked about now, Ronaldo went on to become Madrid’s best player ever and is considered one of the greatest players to ever play the sport. By using this as a sample, last time Madrid made a risk like this, it paid off massively. Will it be the same again with Mbappe? Mbappe had posters of Ronaldo in his room as a kid, he has always been a Real Madrid fan he says, so it seems like everything is pulling Mbappe and Madrid to each other. Real Madrid are still one of the best teams in the world but by signing Mbappe this summer, they can become the dominant force in the soccer world again. Madrid were once the most feared team in the world. They beat everyone they played and everyone was terrified to play them. Since Ronaldo left in 2018, Madrid have still been successful, but they haven’t been anywhere close to the level that they were when they had “one of the best teams of all time.” By signing Mbappe they can again reach this level.