It seems that the number 10 left vacant by Luka Modric already has an owner for next season at Real Madrid. Everything indicates that it will be Kylian Mbappé who will inherit the shirt for the campaign that is about to begin. Although the player has not officially claimed it, according to ESPN, the footballer had his heart set on wearing this shirt once it became available. And that moment has arrived.
A number reserved for the chosen few
The number 10 is one of the most symbolic numbers in the world of soccer. Some of the greatest legends of the sport have been entrusted with wearing this number on their backs. It is a number that was historically reserved for players in a position that has been almost forgotten in modern soccer, that of the attacking midfielder. However, its value has remained throughout the history of the sport.
At Real Madrid, great stars of the team have worn this number, such as Ferenc Puskás, Manuel Velázquez, Héctor Rial, Ricardo Gallego, Martín Vázquez, Uli Stielike, Gheorghe Hagi, and Robert Prosinecki. Since the 1995 season, when shirt numbers became permanent in the Spanish league, it has been worn by Michael Laudrup, Clarence Seedorf, Luis Figo, Robinho, Wesley Sneijder, Lassana Diarra (the strangest case), Mesut Özil, and James Rodríguez. And the last player to wear it was Luka Modric, who leaves it in the highest possible position, departing Real Madrid as the player with the most titles in the club’s history.
Doubts at Real Madrid
It seems that Real Madrid were not very clear about who should inherit the number 10 from Luka Modric, but it was clear that someone had to have it, because La Liga requires a maximum of 25 players to be registered (Madrid will have that number), with numbers ranging from 1 to 25.
The natural replacement seemed to be Mbappé, who wears the number on the French national team, although there were doubts, as during his time at PSG he wore Vinicius‘s 7 and in his final spell at Monaco he wore 9, his current number, the striker’s number and the one with which he has won the European Golden Boot. However, in recent days there has been talk that Arda Güler could inherit the number, especially after Luka Modric’s symbolic gesture at the end of his last game in the white shirt against PSG in the Club World Cup, when he took off his shirt and handed it to the promising young Turkish player as a token of his legacy. But it seems that Mbappé’s seniority and popularity have finally won the day.
Mbappé will wear the number 10 at Real Madrid
This has been confirmed by ESPN, who reports that the French striker will wear the number 10 from next season. As we have said, there is no news that the player has requested the number, but according to the US media outlet, the footballer had planned to inherit it when it became available, and he made this known to the club at the time of his signing, something that was not opposed by the club.
What’s more, the club would be delighted for its star player to wear the number 10 on his back. In a world where marketing and merchandising are the order of the day, Mbappé wearing the number 10 could have a huge impact on shirt sales, and the club hopes that this will be the case.
Therefore, Kyliam Mbappé is leaving behind the number he wore when he started his career at Real Madrid to wear the number 10 on his back. This is something that already happened with Cristiano Ronaldo when he arrived at Real Madrid, who wore the number 9 in his first season before switching to the number 7 when Raúl left, from one legend to another, as is expected to happen from now on.