Real Madrid: The surprising ideal attacking trio, five years from now

ST Kylian Mbappe

Yes, yes, Kylian Mbappe will be the next great striker at the Santiago Bernabeu. And not Erling Haaland. I still think there is a very real chance Florentino Perez is able to complete his ambitious goal of signing both young superstars, forming the best attacking trio seen in recent memory by signing the three young men who will rule football for the next decade.

But think about how difficult that would be to pull off. Haaland, Mbappe, and Vinicius can co-exist, but none of them would get to play in their ideal position. At least one of them would have to play in their worst position in a front three, as Mbappe or Haaland would need to be diverted to the right. In Real Madrid’s 4-3-3, the name of the game is having inverted wingers who can both score with their strongest foot. Real can change that pattern in the future, but I don’t think they will.

Mbappe can be a great striker, even if he prefers playing on the left. Because at Real Madrid, a striker gets more freedom to roam. How many times have we seen Benzema drift inside from the left in the past two seasons? Having the right man on the right wing can help give Mbappe that sort of freedom, too.

The only way for Vinicius and Mbappe to be at their best as a duo in the future is for Mbappe to play in the middle. He could play on the right with Haaland through the middle, but since we are still not sold on that deal happening despite one key reason for optimism, I have Mbappe manning the middle. It’s a very important position for Real Madrid. THE most important, even.