Kylian Mbappe is highly unlikely to join Real Madrid in the summer 2021 transfer window, but that’s not because he doesn’t seem interested in Real or because the club has turned its attention elsewhere. It’s really because the move itself is just so financially difficult right now.
However, it’s not impossible for Mbappe to move to Real. As tough as it would be for Florentino Perez to pull off this signing, we don’t know all the twists and turns – including swaps or even sponsorship deals – that could change the landscape of the transfer market for Los Blancos. Again, all this is conjecture and necessitates a careful reminder that nothing is likely, but, well, we’ve seen Perez accomplish what many once considered impossible.
That said, we don’t even know how interested Mbappe is. There are surely other clubs interested in the PSG superstar, but they all seem like footnotes compared to Real Madrid when looking at how infrequently they are actually linked with the player. It has made it seem like it is “Real Madrid or PSG” when it comes to Mbappe’s future after the 2020-2021 season.
So let’s take a look at what, exactly, Los Blancos can offer to Mbappe that would sway him to make a move from the Parc des Princes to the Santiago Bernabeu.
The face of a project
At PSG, Kylian Mbappe is not the clear superstar. That distinction belongs to Neymar. As amazing as Mbappe is and as many goals as he’s scored in Paris, Neymar is the best player on PSG and anybody who has watched their games can attest to this. Whenever the Brazilian is not healthy, the team is completely done for creatively. There are so many matches when he carries the team to greatness and produces magic that, in all honesty, no player on this planet is capable of.
So Mbappe gets overshadowed. He has taken the responsibility of being a superstar for PSG, such as with his hat trick at the Camp Nou. But he’s also had matches where he is overwhelmed, since if Neymar isn’t playing, the supporting cast isn’t up to par. Go watch PSG’s losses to Monaco and Nantes, and you’ll see how a combination of uninspired coaching and underperforming players hurt Mbappe.
At Real Madrid, Mbappe would be the main superstar in town, but he’d also get a supporting cast of elite “role players”. Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Casemiro, Thibaut Courtois, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Rodrygo Goes, Ferland Mendy, Dani Carvajal, and so many others can play supporting roles for Mbappe either by defending, creating, or keeping the play ticking over. PSG have great players, but they don’t have the established role players Real do.
So Mbappe would get to take on the responsibility of being a team’s marketing face and main superstar, without having to feel like he’s set up to fail in a deep end of a pool infested with sharks and radioactive crocodiles. There will be support for Mbappe, but he will unquestionably be the main star.
Real Madrid have a unique prestige
PSG have dominated Ligue 1 since Qatar’s ownership took over, but they have yet to win a Champions League title. As last season’s appearance in the final showed us, they are getting close now that they have Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. But before letting Cristiano Ronaldo go to Juventus, Los Blancos were the kings of Europe and had three straight Champions League titles to boast. It was an unprecedented feat.
In total, Real have won 13 Champions League titles, which is nearly double the club that is in second place, Milan with seven. Not to mention, Los Blancos have won 34 league titles in a scene that is now hotly-contested with Atletico Madrid and traditional title rivals Barcelona. PSG are finally in a real title fight this season against Lille and Lyon, but that honestly speaks to how disappointing they have been in the league this season. Neither Lille nor Lyon had any real European football success this season.
Real have the most social media followers of any club. They have the most Champions League and La Liga titles. There is no club that can measure up to them. They are the measuring stick by which every other big club is compared to, which is why opposing fanbases do everything they can to compare themselves with Real Madrid, to the point of ridiculousness.
If Kylian Mbappe wants to be known as one of the biggest legends to grace the game, Real have the credibility that PSG have been unable to purchase. They have the lineage, and it’s to a level that no other club in the world can match. And that’s probably why they are seen as the only real challenger for Mbappe’s signature. Aside from cash, PSG have little else to offer.
The chance to become the biggest global superstar
Did moving to PSG help boost Neymar’s stock? By his own tacit admission, evidently not, because in 2019 he tried to join the club despite also suing them. Neymar is playing at a higher level than literally anyone else in world football (“when he’s healthy”, being the caveat, of course), yet he does not get half the recognition because he plays for PSG in Ligue 1. People just straight-up don’t care, and it shows.
La Liga have their own marketing issues at times, but not around Real Madrid nor Barcelona. They take care of their powerhouses, and these two teams were appointment television during the peak MSN vs. BBC rivalry, as well as before that when Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi was at its zenith in terms of records broke and jaws dropped.
By excelling in La Liga with the marketing machine that is the world’s most prestigious and followed club, Mbappe can become the top name in world football. He can surpass Messi and even his idol Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of interest and buzz by joining Los Merengues. And then, he can also back it up on the pitch to be formally known as the world’s best.
I bring up the buzz and interest part of the equation, because it means a ton financially. As much as Ronaldo makes in wages at Juventus, more than 40 percent of his earnings are from endorsements including an apparent one billion dollar lifetime deal with Nike.
Mbappe earns a lot of money from PSG and already has great endorsements, but if he wants to hit that next level, he has to take the step up to a bigger league and a more respected club (people love to hate Real, but they just straight-up hate PSG). And the difference in endorsement money and buzz would, most importantly from Real’s perspective, more than make up for the difference in salary they can offer vs. PSG.