It appears like it finally happened, though we probably shouldn’t believe it until we see him trying to juggle a commemorative soccer ball in front of the press and supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu.Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that Kylian Mbappé has joined the team. This puts an end to almost five years of back-and-forth between Mbappe, Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid, a string of managers at Paris Saint-Germain, all of the French players at Real Madrid, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and even the prime minister of France, Emmanuel Macron.
Even while it’s common to feel deflated by this story and resigned to Real Madrid signing the greatest soccer player in the world, this is still extremely uncommon. The world’s greatest soccer player rarely switches teams because (A) the team that employs him or her wants to keep the player and (B) most likely has the financial resources to do so.
Perhaps Lionel Messi, who transferred from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021 as a result of Barca’s extreme financial ineptitude, was the last player in history to switch teams. However, Messi was 34 years old at the time. When Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009, or more likely when the Brazilian Ronaldo moved from Inter Milan to Real Madrid in 2002, it was possibly the last time the greatest player in the world switched teams during his prime. Observing a pattern here? When a young, well-established, global superstar moves teams, it’s usually to Real Madrid. Analyze the effects on the player, his new team, and his previous club.
What it means for Mbappe
He may finally win the Ballon d’Or, even though leaving Paris for Madrid may result in a substantial wage drop. I don’t think PSG will ever be at the epicenter of European soccer. Their financial advantage over the rest of the French league is so great that it practically makes individual and team achievements in the larger annual story of world soccer worthless. Ligue 1 goes to PSG, of course—just look at all that money! Of course, PSG’s attackers are responsible for all of those goals and assists; just take a look at their colleagues!
In other words, winning the Champions League or a World Cup is the only chance for a PSG player to enjoy a really memorable season (see: 2022). However, your domestic accomplishments really matter more whether you play in the Premier League or for Real Madrid. To be clear, success in domestic leagues should count; the Champions League is a somewhat arbitrary group consisting of no more than 13 games, with different teams playing at different times. There is no luck of the draw during the club season; everyone follows the same schedule. After 38 games, the top players and teams remain the top players and teams.
For all of the opponents of the farmer’s league out there, we can now state with certainty that Mbappe will brighten LaLiga. My preferred method of evaluating player performance is to add goals and anticipated assists together. When you score a goal, you’re the one who seizes the opportunity and makes the conversion; however, expected assists give you credit for the quality of your pass alone, without considering whether your partner finished the play. The Champions League leaders in non-penalty goals and predicted assists since 2016 are as follows:
