Kylian Mbappé will play ‘number 9′ striker for Real Madrid next season

Kylian Mbappé's dream of becoming a Real Madrid player is getting closer and closer. On July 1, the agreement between the two parties, Real Madrid and the player, will be made official, as AS reported back in February.

The Parisian forward asked Los Blancos for confidentiality to avoid being targetted by the PSG ultras, but once Luis Enrique himself let it slip publicly that it was necessary for PSG to get used to life without Kylian, everyone has assumed at the Parc des Princes that the star is set to go to Madrid this summer and that PSG owner Al Khelaïfi will not earn a penny from his transfer.

The added spice would be if the two teams were to meet in the Champions League final (June 1 at Wembley), depending how their respective semifinals with Borussia and Bayern end up. Mbappé against Madrid for the most prestigious title in Europe: football certainly has its ways of getting its kicks in the world.

Until that happens, the debate that has opened up in Madrid is the difficulty that Ancelotti could find in squeezing Mbappé into his favourite position: the left wing. Both Vini Jr and Rodrygo thrive there, with the latter showing his talent on that side against Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League.

Mbappé wants to win the Ballon d’Or

However, unlike what Emmanuel Petit predicted, Mbappé will not be a problem for his position in the galáctico Madrid of the near future. AS understands that Mbappé is not only prepared to be disciplined in accepting of playing the ‘9′ role down the middle of the pitch, but he has admitted to those closest to him that “the challenge of playing there appeals to me.”

The explanation given by Kylian to his people is simple. If he plays as ‘a 9′ in a team with Vinicius, Rodrygo, Bellingham and Brahim as teammates in the area, it will be very easy for him to increase his goal tally. Playing as ‘a 9′ he will have a high chance of winning the Golden Boot and, in that case, he would be almost certain to win the Ballon d’Or, his individual dream once his signing for Real Madrid is made official.

“Kylian knows that being at Madrid will make it much easier for him to win the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or. And if he also wins the Golden Boot, all the better for him. Playing as a nine at Real Madrid will allow him to score goals,” AS was told, explaining that Mbappé is motivated by the possibility of playing in a position in which he has already played several times in his seven years at PSG, especially this season with Luis Enrique.

Let’s take a look at his numbers this season. Mbappé has scored 41 goals scored in the 43 official matches he has played this season, almost at a CR7-level average of one goal per game. Since he has been in Paris, from 2017 to now, Kylian has been constantly improving his goal-scoring rate: 21 in his first season in the French capital, followed up by 39, 30, 42, 39 and 41.

That means that he is going to say goodbye to PSG in his best year in front of goal. He can confidently sign the cover letter on his resumé before moving to a Madrid team that awaits him with open arms and an attacking quartet that already lights up the imagination of the Madridistas: Bellingham, Rodrygo, Mbappé and Vinicius. And add to that list Brahim, Endrick and Joselu on the bench. On paper, it looks stunning.