Kylian Mbappé is officially the new owner of Real Madrid’s No. 10, inheriting the iconic shirt from Luka Modrić.
In the weeks following Modrić’s departure from the Spanish capital, speculation surrounded the club’s recently vacated number 10 shirt. Arda Güler and Jude Bellingham were among several favorites to potentially receive the honor, but in the end, there was only ever going to be one player to take the number.
Real Madrid handed the shirt to Mbappé ahead of the 2025–26 season. The club confirmed the decision on their website, where the Frenchman is now listed as the new No. 10 on the team’s squad list.
Despite the history of legendary midfielders to wear the number at Real Madrid, it comes as no surprise the club opted to give Mbappé the shirt. After all, the 26-year-old is now the face of the club after putting together a historic debut season in which he won the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Boot.
Mbappé kicked off his Real Madrid career wearing the number nine on his back, becoming the first player to own the shirt since his fellow countryman Karim Benzema. The number served the ex-Paris Saint-Germain man well; Mbappé scored 44 goals across all competitions, the most ever by a player in their debut season in a white shirt.
Still, the forward had to settle for the No. 9 last season. Mbappé could not have the No. 7 he wore for PSG since it belongs to Vinícius Júnior, and he could not take the No. 10 from Modrić despite wearing it for France.
Now, Mbappé will don the same number for club and country moving forward. The pressure is on the France captain to follow in not only Modrić’s footsteps, but also those of Ferenc Puskás, Luís Figo, Clarence Seedorf and Mesut Özil.
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Confirm Kylian Mbappe Number Change, Succeeds Club Legend.