What Kylian Mbappe can expect from Real Madrid's dressing room: Nicknames, barbecues, unity

Real Madrid's long-awaited signing of Kylian Mbappe has quite a lot of potential for the reigning Spanish and European champions – but there are also some query marks.

One is how Mbappe matches into the starting line-up, on condition that he prefers to play on the left wing, where Vinicius Junior, who was the highest scorer last season with 24 goals, plays. The other is how the 25-year-old Frenchman matches into a longtime dressing room – a side the La Liga club considered in January once they again seriously considered signing him.

has already detailed how head coach Carlo Ancelotti plans to make use of a versatile 4-3-3 system, with Mbappe in the center, Vinicius Jr. on the left and Rodrygo on the fitting. In defence, this becomes a 4-4-2, with Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. because the two strikers and Jude Bellingham moving to the left midfield.

There remains to be the query of personality. Madrid didn’t want Mbappe to have the identical influence as he did at his former club Paris Saint-Germain after the 2022 contract extension. They also feared that too high a salary could arouse distrust in a harmonious group of players. Mbappe is reportedly set to receive a signing bonus of around €100 million ($109 million; £84 million) after which a salary of €15 million.

The current group of Madrid players is taken into account one in every of the tightest lately. Sources near the dressing room – who, like all those quoted in this text, wished to stay anonymous to guard their relationships – said the atmosphere was the very best that they had ever experienced, admitting that that they had not had the identical feeling in previous years.

This is what recently retired Toni Kroos was referring to when asked at an event last week whether he would stay in contact with one in every of his former Madrid teammates.

“Yes, I have a personal relationship with many of them,” said the German midfielder. “Not only was last season very successful, we also had a first-class dressing room – I can't say that about all the teams I've played for. They are people I want to stay in touch with.”

There were already signs of this throughout the players’ summer holidays.

As he did in 2023, Vinicius Jr. invited a collection of his club colleagues to his hometown of Rio de Janeiro after Brazil were knocked out by Uruguay within the quarter-finals of the Copa America this month. Many were unable to attend because of family commitments or scheduling issues related to international tournaments, but Eduardo Camavinga, Ferland Mendy, Eder Militao and Rodrygo were there.

The players were participating in a charity event for the winger's foundation, the Instituto Vini Jr., through which he invested 1.3 million euros last yr to assist greater than 3,500 children. They enjoyed just a few days of rest, partying and playing football against one another. They were joined by people from their circles and other well-known personalities from the world of sport and elsewhere, corresponding to NBA star of the Boston Celtics, Jaylen Brown, and singers Ozuna, Rauw Alejandro and Ludmilla.

Mbappe was amongst those invited, alongside Vinicius Jr's compatriot, friend and now Madrid teammate Endrick. But each were because of be officially presented on the club's Santiago Bernabeu stadium following their respective appearances on the European Championships and the Copa America – Mbappe was presented last Tuesday, Endrick this Saturday – and needed to take care of the logistics of their latest lives in Spain.

At his opening press conference, Mbappe confirmed that Vinicius Jr. played a job in his final move to Madrid. He was asked which players had spoken to him concerning the club before his arrival from PSG.

“I had all the French players with me, who always told me and explained to me that this is the best (club) in the world,” Mbappe said. “Also Vinicius, who asked me to come and told me that we would play together in attack. Thank you to them because it's always good that they want me to play with them.”

Several players publicly showed their support – whether implicit or explicit – for Mbappe’s signing before it was made official.

When rumors emerged last yr that Madrid could possibly be linked with the transfer, Rodrygo posted a photograph of himself celebrating with Mbappe in August, and when the deal was announced, there was an enormous response from your complete team on social media.

Sources at Valdebebas, Madrid's training ground, said Mbappe has made an excellent impression, describing him as “intelligent” and “cheerful”. The club offered him lower terms this time than of their failed 2022 bid, regardless that his base salary is amongst the best within the squad (and along with his signing bonus, he’s by far their highest-paid player).

Mbappe set the fitting tone of the day in his first press conference, saying he would play wherever Ancelotti sent him, adding that he had no intention of taking the No. 10 shirt worn by Luka Modric for the past seven seasons out of respect for the long-serving Croatian midfielder (he’ll wear No. 9).

So there are good signs – and it’s value reflecting on what happened when one other big name, Bellingham, moved to Madrid last yr.

Initial reports suggested that Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. didn’t get on, but this was soon proven false. They sometimes travelled to training in the identical automotive and Vinicius Jr. celebrated a few of his goals by mimicking the Englishman's open-arm celebration. When Bellingham was interviewed by the club's official TV channel throughout the La Liga title celebrations in Madrid in May, he said: “I'm here, with the best player in the world,” while hugging Vinicius Jr.

In this interview, the Brazilian called Bellingham “Belligol,” one in every of several nicknames inside the team.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is 200 cm tall and is due to this fact also often known as “Jirafa” (giraffe), Antonio Rüdiger as “Loco” (Crazy), David Alaba as “Alabama”, Ferland Mendy as “General”, Eduardo Camavinga as “Pantera” (Panther), Federico Valverde as “Halcon” (Falcon), “Gaucho” (the cowboy-like rider who’s a well-liked symbol in his native Uruguay) or “Bombazo” (Bomb – due to the ability of his shots), while Arda Güler is often known as “Abi” (within the language of his native Turkey, “older brother”). Players often use these nicknames on social media, which is a testament to the positive atmosphere within the dressing room.

This was helped last season by the combination of young players and veterans corresponding to Nacho, Kroos and Joselu, who all left the club this summer. However, other experienced players corresponding to 38-year-old Modric and 33-year-old Lucas Vazquez are staying after extending their contracts for an additional yr.

The club's staff have played a crucial role in creating this harmony.

Last summer, influential chief scout Juni Calafat invited latest signings Bellingham and Guler, in addition to Brahim Diaz (who returned from a three-year loan at AC Milan), to dinner at a well known restaurant in central Madrid. After the decisive La Liga win against Barcelona in April, Guler then hosted a barbecue at his home, attended by Brahim, Valverde and staff.

The players have an ideal relationship with Ancelotti and the opposite coaches. Carlos' son and assistant Davide is vital because, at 35, he’s closer in age to the players and speaks several languages.

They even have an excellent relationship with doctors, physiotherapists and coaches. This was evident when physiotherapist Jaime Salom insisted on attending Militao's comeback from a serious knee injury against Athletic Bilbao on the Bernabeu in March, despite his mother having died that week. Rodrygo dedicated a goal in that match to Salom.

“Such details are usually kept confidential and are often not visible, but they are very important,” a source from Valdebebas said on the time.

All in all, the image that emerges is of a united dressing room that’s able to welcome one other star player in Mbappe.