Kylian Mbappe Set to Become Real Madrid's New #10 Jersey Holder After Luka Modric Joins AC Milan - Reports

When Luka Modric announced his exit from La Liga giants Real Madrid and joined Serie A giants AC Milan, many wondered who would be the player to inherit his iconic #10 jersey - a number sported by the likes of Mesut Ozil, Luis Figo and others. And the answer, it appears, is France superstar Kylian Mbappe. 

The man who joined the club as a free agent after running down his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, or PSG for short, wore the number 9 in his first season at the club - but multiple media reports now suggest he will switch numbers for the upcoming season. 

It is worth noting that Mbappe wears the number for the France national team and, as a winger, it suits him more than the number 9. 

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Mbappe 10 Was Always The Plan

What's more, the belief among Madrid insiders is that he was always going to be handed that shirt as soon as it became available for him. 

Mbappe would have been comfortable continuing on with the number 9 if Modric had chosen to extend his stay at the Spanish capital but once he left, it made sense to make the switch. 

Switching jersey numbers, incidentally, is also something that his idol Cristiano Ronaldo did - the Portuguese winger started with the number 9 before taking the number 7 once Madrid legend Raul departed. 

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How Did Mbappe Fare in Debut Season?

Mbappe had a mixed start to life at Real Madrid but once he found his feet, he also found his scoring boots - he got 31 league goals and 44 goals in all competitions last season. 

However, there will be an expectation that he can do better in terms of his consistency in the coming season and also dovetail better with star teammates Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. 

His goals were unable to make much of an impact in terms of silverware and Madrid ended the season having not won a single trophy, something which no doubt hurt supporters used to success.