Kylian Mbappe is reportedly expected to wear the No 9 shirt at Real Madrid next season.
The Frenchman was confirmed as a Real Madrid player on Monday. It brought to an end to one of the longest transfer sagas in modern football.
It comes after the 2018 World Cup winner decided not to trigger a one-year extension with Paris Saint Germain. Instead, he fulfilled a boyhood dream by playing at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Frenchman is expected to wear the No. 9 shirt despite having a personal preference for the No 10.
There is a classy reason, however, as to why he won’t be wearing his preferred number during the 2024- 25 season.
Modric
It’s claimed that Mbappe and his camp didn’t ask Real Madrid to get the No. 10 shirt, due to his respect for Luka Modric.
Modric has been the No. 10 at Real Madrid since the 2017-18 season.
This was after it had previously been worn by James Rodriguez and Mesut Ozil during his first five seasons at the club.
Until 2017, he had been wearing the No. 19 shirt.
The Croatian midfielder, now 38, was set to be out of contract this summer. But he then signed a new one-year contract on a lower salary.