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Ronaldo was officially unveiled by Juventus on Monday, Real Madrid will therefore be looking at the market to buy replacements for their departing record goalscorer.
A lot of names have been bandied about as potential candidates to fill Ronaldo's shoes with Neymar, Mbappe and Hazard the most recurring ones.
A lot of details go into consideration before signing a galactico at Madrid, including technical ability and market appeal of the player, and Kylian Mbappe definitely ticks all the right boxes for Real Madrid.
These are the the top four factors that make Mbappe the ideal replacement for Ronaldo.
#1 Age factor
Kylian Mbappe was born just five months after France lifted its first ever World Cup and seven months after Real Madrid ended a 32 year wait to lift its 7th European crown.
Neymar turned 26 in February, while Hazard will be 28 in January. Any significant contract offered to any of them would cover the period into their thirties, so Real Madrid will be in a situation of paying huge wages to a 30+ year old player.
As Ronaldo showed, that might not really be a bad situation if the player in question continues to perform at an optimal level, but the question is if any of these players could turn out Ronaldo like performances in their advancing years? And the answer is probably no.
With Mbappe, the situation is different as Real Madrid would be getting a 19 year old player with at least a dozen years of elite level football to be played.
From a business perspective there is also one crucial factor tipping the scale in Mbappe's favor. On account of his young age, he would have a huge resale value if his transfer to the Bernabeu fails to live up to expectations, the same cannot be said about Neymar and Hazard as their advancing ages mean that they wouldn't command a high fee if they were to be resold by Real Madrid.
#2 His World Cup performance
Mbappe burst onto international prominence with his performances for Monaco in their fairy tale Ligue 1 triumph and Champions League semi-final run in 2017, where he ended up in both the UCL and Ligue 1 teams of the season.
The prodigiously talented French teenager continued his upward spiral in his debut season for PSG where he scored a total of 21 goals across all competitions as the Paris club completed a domestic treble of Ligue 1, Coupe de la Ligue and Coupe de France.
Despite these impressive performances, there were still some who doubted Mbappe's ability to consistently perform on the biggest stages owing to his age and the fact that he has less than three full seasons of top level professional football under his belt. In typical fashion, Mbappe cleared their doubts with his performance at the World Cup.
The World Cup is the biggest stage in world football, and a remarkable performance there guarantees a player legendary status in the annals of football history, following in the footsteps of mythical players such as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Mario Kempes, Paolo Rossi, Maradona, Romario, Zidane and Ronaldo who stamped their names in gold at the World Cup.
Mbappe came into the World Cup with a burgeoning reputation and he enhanced it massively by virtue of his achievements at the 2018 World Cup. He was deservedly voted the World Cup's Young Player of the tournament as his contribution of four goals was instrumental to France becoming champions.
While Neymar shouldered the responsibility of leading Brazil to exorcise the ghosts of Belo Horizonte from four years ago and to her long awaited sixth world title, Mbappe was one in a brilliantly talented French side who sought to make amends for their Euro final loss two years ago on home soil.
However, Neymar floundered in his quest for glory, spending more time on the floor with theatrics than making genuine contributions, Mbappe though led his country from the front-line, his technique and pace proving to be a valuable weapon in Didier Deschamps's arsenal.
He became France's youngest ever World Cup goalscorer with his goal in the 1-0 victory over Peru, also following in Pele's footsteps by being the first teenager to score a brace in a World Cup match (against Argentina) and to score in the final.
Real Madrid is unarguably the biggest club in world football, and playing for the Bernabeu outfit can be extremely challenging, with the demands from the fans to win every match convincingly putting the players under extreme pressure, but as Mbappe showed in Russia, he has the mental fortitude and strength of character required to be a galactico.
#3 There is still room for improvement
For his age, Mbappe is exceedingly talented, and only few players can claim to have performed at this high a level at such a young age, if Mbappe continues with his trajectory, he will definitely become one off the greatest footballers in history.
There is the feeling that Neymar and Hazard have reached their peaks, at 26 and 27, there is almost no more room for improvement and we have seen the best of both players.
With Mbappe however, the reverse is the case as he has a lot of years ahead of him to gain useful experience and maturity which will undoubtedly aid in the improvement of his game, and he will definitely be an asset for Real Madrid.
Though numerous examples abound of exceedingly talented young players who frittered out in their later careers, Mbappe has shown that he has the requisite humility and work ethic to make a success out of his career.
With his high performance level at a very young age, it is exciting to think of what the future has in store if he fulfills his potential.
Mbappe is a shining light, and at just 19 years the PSG forward has the world at his feet. Real Madrid should do well to be the platform from which he conquers the footballing world.
#4 He comes with little baggage
Mbappe is the most expensive teenager and second most expensive player in footballing history following his record breaking transfer from Monaco to PSG. Yet, he has still maintained a humble personality both on and off the pitch.
While most players his age would have become arrogant and self-absorbed, Mbappe has maintained a low profile and indeed when comparisons with Pele were brought up after equaling the Brazilian's feat during the press conference of France's victory over Argentina, Mbappe replied saying; 'Pele is a different perspective, he is on another level'.
Though we have experienced numerous players who showed early promise but frittered out in the latter stages of their careers, Mbappe has displayed that he has the requisite work ethic and dedication to remain an elite footballer.
He shows a willingness to track back and help his team in defending even though his skill set and pace is seemingly needed more in the opposition half. He has all the hallmarks of a team player.
Mbappe recently announced that he will be donating all his World Cup winnings (amounting to almost $500,000) to a local Paris charity and hasn't shown the proclivity to a flashy lifestyle accustomed to modern day superstar footballers.
With Neymar however, as undeniable as his talent and class is, his self-indulgent and egoistical nature means that he carries a lot of baggage and ego with him.
He infamously had an on field spat with PSG record goal scorer and former penalty taker Edinson Cavani over penalty taking duties in his first few months at the club and reportedly chose the matches to play and those not to during his first season in Paris.
The Brazilian also showed his club, teammates and league some disrespect by electing to remain in Brazil during PSG's title winning game against Monaco, while his diving antics and provocation of opponents at the World Cup did nothing to change his perceived prima donna tag and only increased his detractors.
Mbappe is a galactico without a galactico's ego, and while it might be too early to suggest that he will continue to shun publicity on account of his career to date, it is safe to say that he is less of an egomaniac than Neymar.
