Why Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe is the inaugural top player of the Golazo 100, beating out Vinicius Jr.

To absolutely no one’s surprise, the winner of the first Golazo 100 is Kylian Mbappe, who goes to Real Madrid, who are about to start UEFA Euro 2024 with France next week. The Paris Saint-Germain player leaves the Parc des Princes at the end of his contract, which ends this month, and his next destination has been known for a few weeks: Santiago Bernabéu and La Liga. Mbappé’s final season in his home country may not have ended with the UEFA Champions League triumph he so desperately desires, but the 25-year-old and his team-mates came very close to finishing in glorious fashion.

So how did Mbappe earn his Golazo 100 chart-topping status before jetting off to the Spanish capital? We look back not just on his 2023-24 campaign, but also on his legacy at PSG and Ligue 1, knowing that following in the footsteps of illustrious Frenchmen like Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema in Madrid will bring great expectations and greater scrutiny. of the Ballon d’Or. Perhaps, however, this is exactly what Mbappe needs at this crucial stage of his career.

Goal 100 schedule

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Mbappé 2023-24

Despite not playing as regularly as he would like so far in 2024 due – in part – to his decision to leave Paris this summer, Mbappe’s calendar year so far has been impressive. He finished his final season in Ligue 1 with his sixth league title and fourth Coupe de France title, as well as a UCL semi-final appearance. In terms of ideal scenarios, it was almost perfect, with the obvious blemish of the two-legged defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, which deprived Mbappe of saying goodbye to future club Real.

As for how this fits into his overall time at the Parc des Princes, the Bondy man has racked up an impressive collection of French national title trophies. In addition to these six Ligue 1 victories and four Coupe de France triumphs, there are also three Trophee des Champions, two Coupe de la Ligue victories and an appearance in the Champions League final, as well as another semi-final. Since his arrival in 2017, this is a pretty impressive return – especially when you consider how difficult some of the last few years have been at PSG, including the painful divorce with the departure of Neymar and Lionel Messi.

Mbappe is Les Parisiens’ undisputed all-time top scorer in all competitions, with 256 goals in total, after replacing Edinson Cavani at the top. The French international captain tops the Ligue 1 (175), UCL goals (42) and domestic cups (39) charts and his total of 352 decisive actions in Rouge et Bleu will take a long time to improve. When considering the cost-benefit ratio, Mbappe justifies the US$194 million that PSG invested in his signature, unlike the man ahead of him for that title: Neymar.

Mbappé’s legacy in Ligue 1

It’s not just in Paris that Mbappe’s defeat will be deeply felt by French football – the former AS Monaco player was genuinely approaching the kind of territory that suggested he was a bigger name than the league itself, as the recent television rights fiasco. It’s easy to forget that his winning streak began even before he arrived at PSG with their seventh and first Ligue 1 title and their first Champions League semi-final with the Monegasques, even before his departure from the Stade Louis II and the seven Principality. years ago.

An astonishing seven of the eight possible league titles won throughout his career were played in his homeland, with six of them being top scorer and five being best player. Factor in an all-time seven goals record of 191, with a ratio of 0.78 goals per game that can only be surpassed by Carlos Bianchi and it’s no surprise to learn that Mbappe is emphatically one of the best France has ever done. produced.

Ligue 1 has been blessed to have retained this talent for so long, given its reputation as a sell-out league, and the only thing that could be considered missing is the first UCL title since Olympique de Marseille’s only, but tarnished, important victory for French football. on the continental scene. This opens the door for some kind of heroic unfinished work coming home later in his career.

Mbappé with Les Bleus

But it wasn’t just at PSG and French national football that Mbappe wrote his legend. He has the opportunity to add to his impressive record with the French national team in Germany this summer at UEFA Euro 2024, which will be his first major tournament as Didier Deschamps’ full-time captain. This only increased his aura and national importance, which already surpassed that of most politicians, and explains why Emmanuel Macron is so keen to be seen at his side, despite his imminent departure.

Many will point to Mbappé’s lack of a Champions League title despite three semi-finals and one final during his time in France. However, the one thing Real’s latest arrival has over many of his new teammates is the 2018 FIFA World Cup title – even the best like Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham still can’t compete with that. Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, given Norway’s difficulties in reaching international tournaments, may never grace anyone, much less try to beat them.

A first European triumph in 24 years for the French would be another feather in the cap of Mbappe’s international status and possibly the best way for him to compete with the likes of Vini Jr. A gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games should not be ruled out while a surplus spot remains in Thierry Henry’s team. For now, give it up for Kylian Mbappe – your first Golazo 100 champion.