Kylian Mbappe is gearing up for his second season at Real Madrid, and it’s set to be a pivotal one. After wearing the number 9 jersey during his debut campaign, he’s poised to switch to a new number for the 2025-26 season.
Individually, Mbappe had a stellar first year, clinching both the European Golden Boot and the Pichichi Trophy. However, despite his contributions, Real Madrid missed out on major silverware, winning only the European Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup.
As he heads into his sophomore year at the Santiago Bernabeu, Mbappe is looking for greater success and a fresh start, symbolized by his change in shirt number. Reports earlier this week confirmed that Mbappe will wear the number 10 jersey, left vacant by Luka Modric following his exit after the Club World Cup. Mbappe all but confirmed the change himself with a social media post featuring just the number 10.
Wearing number 10 is nothing new to Mbappe, as he dons it for the French national team. He will hope it brings him the same success as the number 9 did when he joined Madrid. Like Cristiano Ronaldo, who also switched shirt numbers after his first season in Spain, Mbappe continues to shape his own legacy at the club.
Attention now turns to who will inherit the number 9 shirt. Top candidates include Endrick Felipe and Gonzalo Garcia, with Endrick the likely favorite though his rumored transfer away has stalled due to injury.
It’s possible that Real Madrid will leave the number 9 jersey unassigned for now, reserving it for Endrick, Gonzalo, or a potential new arrival in the summer of 2026.
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