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June 4, 2024

Where does forward Kylian Mbappe fit into Carlo Ancelotti’s star-studded attack at Real Madrid? – La Liga

After his contract with PSG expired, Kylian Mbappe signed with Real Madrid. The 25-year-old joins a star-studded attack at the European champions, which includes Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, and Vinicius Jr., but how will the Frenchman fit into the team?

With a clever pass from Jude Bellingham to Vinicius Jr., Real Madrid’s pivotal forward duo secured the victory. They were presented with a Champions League trophy without having a teammate who is a recognized, elite number nine.

After Real Madrid lost Karim Benzema to Saudi Arabia last summer, all the talk leading up to, during, and following Saturday’s victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley centered on Carlo Ancelotti’s masterminding of another Real triumph. These days, the talk is about how they can advance to a higher level with another French forward.

Kylian Mbappe, turned down three times by the Spanish powerhouses, will join Real Madrid. First, it will follow a trial with Real’s U12 squad; second, it will favor PSG in 2017 and 2022. When his new side needs him the most, he will show up at the Bernabeu.

“The only thing we’re missing is that clinical nine,” Bellingham stated following the Champions League final on Saturday.

“If he was to come and give us that, we would be in a really great place to go and take us to another level. One of the best players in the world!”

Absolute will have their elite number nine, possibly the greatest in the world. The issue lies in what happens to players like Bellingham and Vinicius after their valiant performances throughout the season, not just at Wembley?

In response to Benzema’s departure, Ancelotti chose to play a 4-3-1-2 formation with Vinicius and Rodrygo acting as “split forwards” who occupy vast areas. This setup allows Bellingham, a recent addition, to play freely behind them at the tip of a midfield diamond.

In terms of transfer sales, this front three won’t be divided.  

Vinicius and Bellingham were Real’s two most crucial players, scoring 24 and 23 goals, 

respectively, this season. Rodrygo has promised to stay in the Spanish capital for the upcoming season despite rumors that he is moving.

However, Mbappe is now poised to be Real Madrid’s crown jewel after scoring 256 goals in 308 games in the French city. How does the former No. 7 for PSG become the star player for Real Madrid without detracting from Vinicius, the current No. 7 for Real, who is undoubtedly among the best players in the world?

Given that Mbappe and Vinicius played in the same position this season, and the Brazilian is unwilling to budge, a problem might arise.

“Vinicius has really made the left-hand side his. That is his best position,” Spanish football journalist Semra Hunter told”

“Let’s work under the premise that Ancelotti is going to stick with a 4-4-2 next season, with Jude Bellingham at the top of the midfield diamond.”

“That means Vinicius and Mbappe can start in a two-pronged attack, like what Vinicius and Rodrygo have been doing this season.”

Ancelotti will have difficulty replacing Rodrygo, considering the Brazilian forward’s pivotal role in Real’s most recent Champions League victories.

The player who scored goals in both of this season’s legs of Real Madrid’s quarterfinal victory over Manchester City—a match that virtually assured Real’s defeat in the Champions League—would be left off by the Italian manager. And will Mbappe take Rodrygo’s position as ‘right forward’ in order to make room for Vinicius?

One could argue that even though Rodrygo is a “right forward,” he hardly ever plays on the right wing. Since Mbappe has always preferred the No 9 role at PSG to a wide one, Ancelotti’s statement from two seasons ago that the 23-year-old has “so much potential as a center forward or a second striker” suggests that the player’s role in Real’s 4-3-1-2 is as central as it appears.

Or might Ancelotti’s ultra-attacking plan involve all four players—Mbappe, Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Bellingham—playing together? It wouldn’t be an unfamiliar move, as he had used a 4-3-3 formation at Real Madrid for years before Benzema’s departure.

“Rodrygo is more tactically flexible – he can play on the right, left or as a No 10,” added Hunter.”

“He could play 4-3-3, with Mbappe in the middle and Vinicius and Rodrygo on the wings. But that means he would have to sacrifice a midfielder, and they are so stacked in that area. I don’t see that happening too often.”

This summer, Mbappe is not the only new player joining Real Madrid; Brazilian sensation Endrick has added another outstanding talent to the group. Expect the 17-year-old to weigh in on this debate, considering his heroics for both club and country thus far.

But while everyone watches Mbappe, the teenager will grow in his own time. It is him that Real Madrid is bringing in to take control of Europe.

And what will the Spanish behemoths accomplish with him if they are already winning Champions League titles without him? 

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