How Will Mbappe Fit In At Madrid?

A look at the options for Los Blancos now Kylian Mbappe is on board.

By Patric Ridge

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As has long been anticipated, Kylian Mbappe has joined Real Madrid.

The news was confirmed on Monday, with Mbappe having agreed a five-year contract.

The now-15-time European champions will add another superstar into the mix, and combined with Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, Mbappe really could lead Los Blancos to another period of dominance.

Credit: Instagram - @k.mbappe

But just how will the 25-year-old fit into Carlo Ancelotti’s starting XI?

Here, More Than A Game looks at some options.

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DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

Ancelotti had to cope with the loss of Karim Benzema ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, and a huge part of Madrid’s success was the Italian’s ability to develop Bellingham into arguably the world’s best box-crashing midfielder.

Bellingham scored 23 goals in all competitions, netting with all kinds of finishes, too, and Ancelotti is on record emphasising how important it is to get the England international closer to goal.

To do that this season, he employed a 4-3-1-2 shape — the classic ‘diamond’ midfield — with Bellingham at its tip behind two strikers, namely Vinicius and Rodrygo, though Joselu chipped in too.

This is where Mbappe could slot in, replacing Rodrygo in the front two and pairing with Vinicius. The issue there could be that Mbappe, like Vinicius, prefers to come in off the left. But Ancelotti has rarely had too many issues when it comes to finding ways to get his best players into the side.

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LEADING THE LINE