Will he be more ‘galactic’ than Cristiano? This is how they analyze in Madrid the arrival of Mbappé to the king of the Champions League and why he is a favorite for the Ballon d’Or

But everything seems to have had a happy ending. Nine years after that first meeting, the king of Europe officially announced his new ‘galactico’ as reinforcement for the next five seasons. And he did it just two days after having won his fifteenth Champions League.

, Mbappé wrote on his social networks minutes after the announcement of his new club and in the middle of France’s concentration ahead of the friendly this Wednesday, June 5 (2 pm) against Luxembourg. To the text he attached four photos: those of his walk through the Madrid facilities, in 2013, in which he met Cristiano Ronaldo, his idol, in person.

He will join after the Eurocup that begins on Friday, June 14. Until then, a lot will surely be said about this historic signing. In Spain they assure that he will wear the ‘9’, the number with which ‘CR7’ began his time at the club and which Karim Benzema ended up leaving before going to Saudi Arabia. For his part, journalist Tancredi Palmeri, from Sport Italia, revealed that the attacker’s salary will be US$62 million, the second highest in the history of Spanish football behind that of Lionel Messi (88 million) in his last stage in the Barcelona.

A look from Madrid

Kylian is 25 years old, has won a World Cup, 17 titles and 328 goals as a professional. A chilling figure. But that doesn’t seem to move Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world, a single centimeter. Therefore, in the midst of the euphoria over his arrival, we spoke with three Spanish journalists who analyzed his importance and his near future.

Fernando Tavero – Diario AS Spain

1) In my opinion, it is less important. Mbappé arrives at a Real Madrid team that is European champion, that has won six of the last ten Champions Leagues and with a young but well-prepared backbone. Vinicius and Bellingham are candidates for the Ballon d’Or, without going any further. Mbappé arrives at a moving train that is going at full speed. Cristiano, on the other hand, was the icing on the cake of Florentino’s first major Real Madrid 2.0 project. Without achieving an ‘Orejona’ since 2002, it was a new beginning with Cristiano as general captain. Mbappé’s is a titanic and strategic signing, but analyzing both contexts, Cristiano was more important at the time than, a priori, Kylian is right now.

2) At the moment, Ancelotti is managing three variants. Rodrygo has accommodation in one of them, in the most aggressive one. In a 4-3-3 similar to that of the BBC, Bellingham, Valverde and Camavinga or Tchouameni in the engine room. A priori, that will be the initial plan. Although he also gains weight in the diamond, with Jude as 10, Vini and Mbappé as forwards and Rodrygo out of the equation, or a 4-4-2 that would also penalize Osasco and place Camavinga and Tchouameni in a double pivot. A gibberish that Carletto is already working on solving.

3) Without a doubt. In fact, Vinicius, Bellingham and Kroos can occupy the podium for the next Ballon d’Or, with Mbappé himself as the only real competition if he has a sensational Euro Cup in champion France. The meter for the golden award is the Champions League and Madrid knows the anthem from A to Z. Mbappé needed this step because, due to conditions, he was (and is) the heir of Cristiano and Messi, but at 25 years old he cannot I could continue shooting in the air in Paris.

Joel del Río – Diario Marca

1) Rather than talking about importance, I would talk about needs. The Madrid where Cristiano arrived had not won a Champions League for years and it was Barcelona who dominated the national and international scene. The one Mbappé arrives at is completely different. It is a winning, young team that wants to continue making history.

2) There are many options and now it will be Carlo who decides. He will have to try during the preseason and in the first months of competition to find the key. In this year’s system (4-3-1-2) he would fit alongside Vinicius up top, but he can also play with a 4-3-3 being part of the new trident or in a 4-2-3-1, which will depend whether Vini or Mbappé want to play as a nine alone.

3) He tried with PSG because it was his dream to win a Champions League with his country’s team, but he has realized that to have a real chance of winning both trophies, his signing for Madrid was key. Top favorite next season for everything without forgetting Vinicius or Bellingham.

Iván Martín – OK Diario

1) The arrival of Kylian Mbappé is similar to that of Cristiano Ronaldo although the context of the team is very different. In 2009, Real Madrid came from a difficult time in terms of titles and now is coming off being European champion. In fact, what he has done is win the Champions League, celebrate it and introduce Mbappé. His presentation could be compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, but the team’s need has nothing to do with it. Right now the Frenchman arrives at a ready-made team, a winning team, where the one who has won the least at the club level has been him.

2) The three could play together returning to the 4-3-3, delaying Bellingham. What will be certain is that Madrid is going to be much more vertical starting next season. The midfield without Toni Kroos will lack importance, so it will be more Rock and Roll, more of a Madrid that is vertical, fast and generating many scoring chances. In that context, Tchouameni or Camavinga could play in the middle with Valverde and Bellingham. It is an option for all three to form together. If not, the sacrificed would be Rodrygo.

3) Yes, of course. Real Madrid is the ideal place to win the Ballon d’Or. It is the club that has won the most golden trophies along with Barcelona. So it’s the perfect place for Mbappé to win it. But what you have to be clear about is that his role changes. Possibly what he will do at the end of the year is applaud Vinícius’ award and it won’t be him. So he is no longer the capital player but rather he will have to adapt to a locker room in which he will be a star along with many others.