«In my team, the numbers go from one to 11,» Real Madrid president Florentino Perez told Zinedine Zidane after he signed for the Spanish behemoths in 2001. «There are no 35 or 40 on the jerseys!»
Zidane was happy to accept the lowest available number, making five such an iconic figure in Madrid's history that Jude Bellingham rang up Jesus Vallejo to ask for the digit when he moved to Spain's capital two decades later.
Kylian Mbappe, the heir to Zidane's throne at the summit of French football, is poised to begin his own negotiations for squad numbers after finally agreeing a long-awaited deal with Madrid.
Here are the options available to Mbappe. Although, Perez — as ever — will have the final say.
When Mbappe made his professional debut as a scrawny 16-year-old in December 2015 — breaking Thierry Henry's record as Monaco's youngest-ever player — he replaced former Real Madrid full-back Fabio Coentrao while drowning in a billowing shirt with 33 on the back.
Mbappe made his first European appearance later that month in a 4-1 Europa League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur wearing 39. The teenager was limited to just two league starts in his debut campaign but announced himself to the rest of Europe during the 2016/17 season.
Promoted to number 29, Mbappe directly contributed to 31 goals as Monaco won Ligue 1 and charged to the Champions League semi-finals. The precocious 18-year-old kept that squad number when he moved to PSG in the summer of 2017 before becoming the team's 7 in his second season once Lucas Moura had joined Spurs.
The Coupe de France — the nation's primary cup competition — demands every starter to wear one to 11 regardless of their existing squad numbers. Perez would approve. While adhering to this tradition, Mbappe
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