The new '10' for Real Madrid decided, Arda Güler gives the OK and takes over from Modric

Real Madrid have many changes to cement before starting the 25/26 season. One of the most notable is directly related to the farewell of a historic legend of the white club:  Luka Modric. The departure of the Croatian attacking midfielder raises a major question that had no fixed solution until now.

With the departure of Luka Modric, even though he will still be available for the Club World Cup, the question about his jersey number is justified. There are plenty of candidates to take over the number now worn by the Balkan star, starting with Arda Güler, who received a particular promise from Luka Modric himself.

The decision to hand over the "10" when the genius from Zadar retired from Real Madrid, however, may have been overridden by the mandate of the merengue board of directors. Especially considering the presence of another top-class footballer who already asked about the possibility of taking the "10" after Luka Modric's departure: Kylian Mbappé.

The interest of the Bondy forward, when he arrived in Santiago Bernabéu locker room, prompted a strong response from Real Madrid. They wouldn't hand over the "10" until Luka Modric decided to leave the first team. Mbappé didn't desire that number either, as he made clear in the Valdebebas offices, so he would patiently wait for the right moment to come.

dilemma solved

After the grand farewell at Santiago Bernabéu,  Luka Modric faces his last two months as a Real Madrid player. The information currently circulating about the jersey number change couldn't be clearer: Kylian Mbappé will succeed Luka Modric with the "10" of the first white team.

But that change won't happen until after the Club World Cup. It's not the only condition that the white sporting management have imposed to make this jersey number swap a reality, since they have also contacted Arda Güler. The Turkish attacking midfielder, despite Luka Modric's informal promise, has given his approval.

Especially because he has many more chances to wear the "10" in the future compared to Kylian Mbappé's possibilities. The five-year age difference is significant in the European football elite, giving more leeway to the Altindag midfielder than to the Bondy forward in this particular aspect.

That's why Kylian Mbappé will wear Luka Modric's "10" starting from the 25/26 season. This way, the merengue striker's jersey numbers will finally be unified, since his number with the French national team is also "10". At PSG, due to the presence of the well-established Neymar Jr., he was barred from wearing that number.