Real Madrid have created the ultimate forward line with the addition of Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer after a crazy transfer saga. The French forward has been handed the no.9 shirt and this has created the ultimate marketing opportunity for their shirt sponsors Adidas to cash in on.
After a glittering presentation at the Santiago Bernabeu, Los Blancos confirmed that Mbappe will be getting the shirt previously worn by Karim Benzema.
That is because the no.7 is currently occupied by Vinicius Jr, who won’t be giving it up. The no.9 shirt makes sense for Mbappe because he will mostly be playing in a more central role as the vocal point of Real Madrid’s attack.
The addition of Mbappe gave Adidas the opportunity to create a marketing scheme using the biggest Real Madrid players.
They made a post on social media where the no.9 shirt of Mbappe is accompanied by Jude Bellingham’s no.5 and Vinicius Jr’s no.7 attires. It’s basically the ultimate show of power of what will be a scary attacking trio for Real Madrid next season.
While most Madridistas are delighted and excited with what is in store, there are some fans who have been truly infuriated by this Adidas campaign.
That is because some supporters believe that Rodrygo has been disrespected in this picture and that his number deserved to be in it after the kind of devotion he’s made to Real Madrid’s success in the last few years.
There is belief that Rodrygo has subtly replaced as one of the faces of Los Blancos’ attacking force and been replaced by Mbappe in this.
Different teams’ fans are taking this opportunity to goad Rodrygo into pushing for an exit from Real Madrid this summer and joining them instead, promising to treat him with more importance.
Some Real Madrid supporters don’t feel that offended by this at all, as they feel that Rodrygo isn’t really better or important than any of the three players chosen ‘above’ him. There is a general feeling that if Carlo Ancelotti’s sticks with his 4-4-2 (diamond) formation, then Rodrygo will be replaced with Mbappe in the two-man frontline.
To his credit, Mbappe has not shown any signs of arrogance and insisted that it’ll be him who will have to adapt to the Real Madrid system and fight for his place in the team.
In his presentation, he stated: “Vinicius is a unique player, I’m very happy to play with him, but also Rodrygo and all the others. I won’t have problems playing with him. He had a perfect season. It’s me who has to adapt to them to win.”
Rodrygo has also vehemently denied allegations of being ‘jealous’ of the French forward and feeling threatened by his arrival.
During the Copa America campaign, the Brazilian forward revealed: “For me it’s a pleasure to play with Mbappe, I always made it very clear. He’s going to help our team a lot, he’s going to help make it even stronger than it already is.”
At this point, Real Madrid are not looking to sell Rodrygo and value him as an important member of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.
There will definitely be some friendly competition for the limited attacking positions in the Real Madrid XI next season. It’s now up to Rodrygo to prove his doubters wrong and outperform Mbappe to make himself an indispensable part of the starting lineup.