Real Madrid have confirmed that Kylian Mbappe will wear the No.9 shirt at the Bernabeu, as he follows in Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Real have confirmed that Real will wear the No.9 shirt at the Santiago Bernabeu. Cristiano Ronaldo wore the shirt too, upon his arrival at the club, before eventually switching to his iconic No.7. Mbappe reportedly opted against requesting his favoured No.10, which he wears for France, out of respect for Luka Modric.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Mbappe moves to Real after an underwhelming Euro 2024. The World Cup winner only scored once – in a 1-1 draw with already-eliminated Poland – as Les Bleus reached the semi-final, where they were beaten by Spain. However, he will have to perform if he is to live up to the lineage of the No.9 shirt, which has previously been worn by both the Portuguese and Brazilian Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Emilio Butragueno, and Alfredo Di Stefano.
DID YOU KNOW?
Mbappe left Paris Saint-Germain with an astonishing record of 256 goals and 108 assists in 308 games. The 25-year-old has also scored 48 goals in 84 caps for France.
WHAT NEXT?
The official presentation of Mbappe is scheduled for Tuesday, July 16, at 12:00 PM at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Prior to this public event, Mbappe will sign his contract at Valdebebas, Real Madrid’s training ground. Club president Florentino Pérez will formally introduce Mbappe at Real Madrid City, marking the beginning of his five-year tenure with the club.
After that, Mbappe will be driven to the Bernabeu where a massive presentation ceremony is being planned. It is expected that the event will be graced by several Real Madrid legends including Zinedine Zidane. There will be live musicians, fireworks onstage and several 360-degree panoramic cameras to shoot the presentation from every possible angle
