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The reports right now might suggest that Paris St. Germain don’t want to sell him, but rumours continue to fly around that French wonderkid Kylian Mbappe is on his way to Real Madrid in the summer. If the rumours are true, it’d be a huge move for both parties and would surely see Madrid break the world record transfer fee again.
But should Mbappe move to Los Blancos, or would it be better for his young career to stay in Paris for the time being? Considering the French forward is still just 20 years old, a move of that magnitude would represent somewhat of a risk for Mbappe, but in my opinion, he should go for it.
Here are 3 reasons why Kylian Mbappe should move to Real Madrid.
#1 He’s outgrown Ligue 1
Paris St. Germain might be one of Europe’s richest and most powerful clubs, but France’s top division – Ligue 1 – simply isn’t up to snuff when compared to Europe’s biggest and best leagues – England’s Premier League, La Liga of Spain and the German Bundesliga.
Case in point – outside of Monaco’s brilliant young team in 2016/17, PSG have simply dominated Ligue 1 since their Qatari takeover, winning the league title in 5 of the last 6 seasons.
With Mbappe, as well as other outstanding players like Neymar, Edinson Cavani, Thiago Silva and Gianluigi Buffon, PSG are streaks ahead of their competition in France, and it shows in Mbappe’s stats this season.
The French forward has scored 26 goals and made 6 assists in just 23 games thus far, and has an outstanding average rating of 8.06 on WhoScored.com. Essentially, Mbappe is at the head of a team of flat-track bullies – but he could be so much more than that.
A move to Real Madrid would allow him to test his skills in arguably the best league in the world. Spain’s top teams have dominated European competition for the best part of a decade now, and while a switch to the Bernabeu would obviously land him at another established club, the competition in La Liga – the likes of Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla – would be much tougher for him, and would probably help him to further develop his game, too.
#2 It’s a chance for him to hook up with a French legend
Judging by his style of play, I’d be willing to make an educated guess that Mbappe’s hero growing up would probably have been speedy French striking legend Thierry Henry. But unfortunately, judging by his record at Monaco, Henry isn’t going to be considered a top manager any time soon.
Thankfully, Mbappe probably also idolised another French legend, and that former World Cup winner just happens to be Real Madrid’s new boss.
Less than a year after leaving the post, Zinedine Zidane is back in the hot seat at the Bernabeu, and while he isn’t as proven a coach as the likes of Pep Guardiola when it comes to improving players, his record when it comes to winning trophies is second-to-none; he won the Champions League three seasons in a row, after all!
More to the point, I’d be massively surprised if a new French superstar like Mbappe wouldn’t relish the chance to work under arguably the greatest French footballer of all time in the form of Zidane.
And you can’t underestimate the power of a renowned manager when it comes to attracting top players to a club – just look at how many moved to Manchester United to work with Alex Ferguson in the 1990s, for instance. Mbappe and Zidane sounds like a match made in heaven for Real Madrid, and the striker himself surely knows this too.
#3 It breaks him away from Neymar
Assuming Real Madrid wouldn’t look to sign PSG’s Brazilian superstar Neymar as well as Mbappe, a move for the French striker to the Bernabeu would also be smart because it’d get him away from all of the apparent politics surrounding their relationship and allow him to become arguably the world’s greatest player on his own terms.
There have been reports that Neymar and Mbappe get on perfectly well, and Mbappe has claimed himself that the relationship between the pair is growing on and off the pitch, but it’s also been reported that Neymar hasn’t been happy with the rise of Mbappe and wants to be PSG’s main man, rather than potentially in the French wonderkid’s shadow. Whether that’s true, well, it’s anyone’s guess right now.
Regardless of the truth of this matter though, a move to Real Madrid would make the whole thing moot. Right now Real don’t have a world superstar heading their attack; Cristiano Ronaldo is gone, Gareth Bale is probably leaving too and Karim Benzema is past his best. That means that the Bernabeu is ripe for a new hero to lead them, and by moving there, Mbappe would instantly become that hero – and he’d finally be out of Neymar’s shadow, and vice versa.
