Kylian Mbappe to ‘Wear’ Iconic Shirt Number for Real Madrid in 2025-26

Real Madrid will reportedly hand the No. 10 shirt to Kylian Mbappé ahead of the 2025–26 season.

When Mbappé made the move to the Spanish capital last summer, the 26-year-old had to settle for the number nine, formerly worn by his fellow countryman Karim Benzema. The shirt served the ex-Paris Saint-Germain forward well in his debut campaign at Real Madrid in which he bagged 44 goals across all competitions.

The departure of Luka Modrić, though, now leaves the No. 10 shirt up for grabs. Mbappé wore the number in his days playing at Monaco, and currently dons it for the France national team.

Now, the Frenchman is seemingly on his way to wearing the same number for club and country. According to ESPN, Mbappé is the new owner of Real Madrid’s iconic No. 10.

Although Arda Güler was thought to be in the running to inherit Modrić’s shirt, ESPN report that it was “always” the plan for Mbappé to take the number once it became available. The France captain was willing to wait another season had Modrić renewed his contract with Los Blancos.

The pressure will be on Mbappé to live up to the legacy of the shirt. Modrić wore the number 10 for eight years of his 13-year stint with Los Blancos that featured 28 trophies, the most won by a single player in club history.

Other Real Madrid greats, including Ferenc Puskás and Mesut Özil, also are on the long-list of players to get the honor of donning the No. 10 at the biggest club in the world.

Mbappé will hope to replicate his individual success from last season with the new number on his back. Despite winning the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Boot in 2024–25, though, the superstar forward could not help Real Madrid win a major trophy.

The expectations for Mbappé will be even greater now that he is slated to become the successor to Modrić’s legendary number.