World-class soccer star Kylian Mbappe is known for his rise to fame and greatness at a young age, playing for the French national team in the last two world cups and spending seven seasons at PSG, where he nearly brought his team a Champions League title. At only 25, Mbappe is shaping up to be one of the greats. After seven seasons of participation on just one team, he would want to spend much more of his career there. However, Mbappe informed his club that he would leave when his contract expires in the summer. He plans to join Real Madrid, which is a move that many believed was imminent.

It is only natural to speculate what led Mbappe to make this career-changing decision. In reality, Mbappe has already broken almost every individual club record that he could at PSG. He has become the club’s top all-time scorer while only 25. With most professional soccer players retiring, most often in their mid-30s, it is safe to say that Mbappe’s career will continue for another decade. Paris is also where he and his family grew up, tying him somehow to the country and the club he has loved and been a fan of since he was a kid. In joining Real Madrid, he will also be taking a pay cut compared to what he would have gotten from his contract at PSG. Mbappe will still be signing for $16 million a year and a $161 million signing bonus.

Many have expected this move for a long time to come. Real Madrid is one of the biggest clubs in the world if not the biggest, and they have been trying to sign Mbappe as a free agent since before he was even a teenager. It was also apparent that he was having disagreements with the club president in Paris. It was likely inevitable that Mbappe would be leaving PSG soon enough. Real Madrid maintains a strong roster that includes players like Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, and Dani Ceballos. They also have some bright stars among their young players, Bellingham being one of them. Pairing them up with Mbappe, who is also only in his mid-20s, will be a potentially dangerous combination in the future. 

Leaving his hometown club and, in some ways, his family was a challenging choice. Two years prior, Mbappe was close to leaving the club before he was given an offer that was incredibly hard to refuse. He was promised more power and said in big club decisions. This time, he requested the club president not to try to bargain with him and just let him leave. This time, there is no doubt that Mbappe is headed to Real Madrid.