Mbappé explains how it was decided he'd wear the number 10: 'It was so simple...'

One of the changes that Real Madrid has undergone with Xabi Alonso's arrival to the first team has been led by Kylian Mbappé. The decision by the club's executives to not renew Luka Modric, the previous holder of the first team's "10", caused the genius from Zadar to leave the locker room this summer.

With that legendary number now available, many wondered who would be next to take on that responsibility. While it is true that Kylian Mbappé was seen as one of the most prepared for that task, Arda Güler's candidacy couldn't be easily dismissed. The uncertainty ended many weeks ago.

Indeed, the striker from Bondy was chosen to succeed the Balkan midfielder, now an AC Milan player, wearing the "10" since this season. According to what we have learned at Defensa Central, the French player didn't desire that number, not even when he knew firsthand that Luka Modric would leave the Spanish capital this summer.

Kylian Mbappé himself reportedly revealed how he took on the "10" during that period between seasons, right after the Club World Cup. In his words to Téléfoot, the French striker stated that it was a process "this simple". The executives led by Florentino offered him the chance to succeed Luka Modric.

Quick and direct

Faced with that proposal sent from the Valdebebas offices, which allowed him to unify the numbers of his club and his national team, Mbappé recalls that "I accepted" without hesitation. "The club had the idea of giving it to me this summer", adds one of the few untouchables for Xabi Alonso in Santiago Bernabéu locker room.

Thus, the succession from Luka Modric to Kylian Mbappé is entirely up to the club's leadership. It was the top officials at Real Madrid who decided to approach one of its biggest stars to offer him the opportunity to take on the "10" previously worn by the Balkan midfielder.

The option to receive that honor, especially at a club where you have always dreamed of playing, isn't within everyone's reach. That's why the French striker reportedly accepted to continue Luka Modric's legacy in a season that is expected to be essential for his legacy as a Madridist. In his first campaign, he won the Golden Boot by scoring 44 goals in seven competitions.

Now he faces the enormous challenge, under Xabi Alonso's orders, of expanding the club's trophy cabinet. Achieving the first treble in the club's history is still a feasible option, a challenge that Kylian Mbappé has reportedly taken on as his own. Indeed, now, both by technical decision and by his number, he is one of the leaders of the current sports project.