Even before the dust settled on Real Madrid’s record-extending 15th Champions League win, Florentino Perez remarked that the club would be starting work towards a 16th title.
Perez’s comments reflect a seemingly nonchalant attitude towards the Champions League, one that may have stemmed from the sense of inevitability that precluded Saturday’s final, or even his own attempts to destroy the competition.
Alternatively, Perez’s sense of calm may have come from his knowledge that Madrid’s preparations for next season are well underway, and to potentially devastating effect for his European rivals.
Central to these preparations is a signing that has been years in the making – that of Kylian Mbappe. The young Frenchman, who has been integral to the hopes of both Paris-Saint Germain and his national side, has finally signed for the team that has coveted him for so long.
But in a side that contains €100m signing Jude Bellingham, Ballon d’Or favourite Vinicius Junior and – from July – 17-year-old Brazilian wonderkid Endrick, how will the World Cup winner fit into the starting 11?
Mbappe’s preferred position
Mbappe has long been seen as the heir to the ‘best player in the world’ throne recently vacated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and it is now accepted that the Frenchman plays his best football on the left wing.
Despite having played in every front-three position, it is on the left where he has had his most fruitful performances, from World Cup final hat-tricks to dozens of games across seven league title-winning seasons since 2016-17.
And with 27 goals and seven assists in Ligue 1 last season, it is hard to argue against Mbappe slotting straight into the Madrid side in his favoured position.
Or at least it would be, if Vinicius Jr wasn’t coming off the end of the best season of his career so far... The Brazilian, who scored the second goal in the Champions League final, is favourite to win the Ballon d’Or after producing 24 goals and seven assists across all competitions last season.
Given the Brazilian’s form and natural talent, it is unlikely that he will be moved to accommodate Mbappe, with the Frenchman also the more comfortable of the two playing as a more traditional ‘number nine’ in a front three.
Mbappe as striker
Mbappe is no stranger to playing through the middle, having started in the same position for PSG several times under Luis Enrique, including in the 2-1 win over Lyon in the French Cup final on 25 May.
Rumours in Spanish media suggest that Mbappe has already agreed to play as a striker when he moves to the Spanish capital, and with Rodrygo usually occupying the right-wing areas, this is the position that would make the most sense.
Jude Bellingham even alluded to the potential signing after Saturday’s final, saying that the only thing Madrid were missing was “that clinical number nine”.
Mbappe is coming off the best goalscoring form of his career last season, and many would back him to be able to channel his natural ability into playing as a nine. Nevertheless, the conversion from wing player to out-and-out striker is a far from straightforward one.
Another option that could be viable, especially if Rodrygo eventually leaves, is for Carlo Ancelotti to copy the formation that won Real the Champions League.
The Italian repeatedly opted for a midfield diamond last season, with Bellingham playing at the top and Vini Jr and Rodrygo lining up in a two-pronged attack.
In reality, this formation was far from rigid, with the Italian repeatedly asserting that his players were allowed a lot of freedom in attack.
And although this formation would require one of the two to play more on the right, this flexibility could allow both Vinicius Jr and Mbappe to start as a front two. Rodrygo’s goal in the quarter-finals at the Etihad is an example of where Mbappe could expect to find himself in the box, so it is certainly something worth experimenting with, especially as Mbappe frequently appeared in the same position when playing with Neymar and Messi at PSG.
A combination of these formations would also allow time for Endrick to develop. Though the 17-year-old is often referred to as a striker, it is likely that his age and ability would allow him to also play effectively on one of the wings as he develops during the early stages of his career in Madrid.
