Most Real Madrid fans had believed that it was only a matter of time before Kylian Mbappe ended up at Santiago Bernabeu.
His deal with PSG was set to run out this summer and it looked like a move that was destined to happen. After all, it was no secret that the French World Cup winner was a fan of Los Blancos and particularly, Cristiano Ronaldo, while growing up.
Yet, when the moment of decision came, Mbappe ended up extending his stay in Paris by signing a bumper new deal with PSG and as a result, turned down the chance to join Real Madrid.
The decision has not had a huge impact on the pitch for Real Madrid. In Vinicius Jr, they have a player who might be just as good as Mbappe right now and has developed into a superstar in his own right, scoring the Champions League-winning goal last season in the final vs Liverpool.
For Mbappe though, things might not be going as smoothly. Lionel Messi and Neymar seem to be the star men for PSG this season and have very much rediscovered their mojo, while noises coming out of France have suggested that the Frenchman is not happy playing as the number nine of his team.
There is no doubt that on top of his game, Mbappe is a top, top player. He might very well be destined for the Ballon d’Or one day.
But at the moment, he is not the player who will win you games on his own. At the same time though, he does have a superstar attitude which might not fit into the current Real Madrid set up.
For the time being, Real Madrid might be better off without Mbappe although one cannot count out a move in the future, if the conditions were right.