Mbappé inherits the number 10 shirt at Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappé will wear the number 10 jersey at Real Madrid next season, leaving behind the number 9 he used in his debut campaign with the club. This was confirmed by a source close to the player.
Number 10 became available after the departure of Luka Modrić, who joined AC Milan after 13 years at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Mbappé also uses the number 10 for the French national team, and the source revealed that it was always in the player’s plans to wear that number at Madrid once it became available. However, Mbappé was prepared to stay for one more season with the number 9 if Modrić had renewed his contract for an additional year.
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Mbappé had an outstanding individual season with Madrid after his expected arrival from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
The 26-year-old striker scored 31 goals in LaLiga, becoming the competition’s top scorer. In addition, he surpassed the 33 goals that Cristiano Ronaldo scored in his debut season with Real Madrid in all competitions.
Four of those goals were in finals: in the 2-0 victory over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup, in the 3-0 triumph over Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and in the defeats against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de España.
However, Mbappé received criticism from some sectors, as Madrid failed to win a major title, finishing second behind Barcelona in LaLiga and losing to Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Mbappé struggled to stand out in the recent Club World Cup held in the United States, after being hospitalized for acute gastroenteritis that kept him out of action in the group stage.
Although he returned for the knockout rounds, Madrid’s participation ended with a 4-0 defeat to PSG, Mbappé’s former club, in the semi-finals.
