ANKARA
Kylian Mbappe, the 2018 FIFA World Cup champion and one of the best football players globally, completed his sensational move to star-studded Real Madrid Monday to be another great French figure in the Spanish club’s history.
Mbappe, who left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after seven years, agreed to play for the Madrid giants for the next five years, calling his move a “dream.” It was a quite long-awaited signing as the player was heavily linked to Real Madrid in previous years.
So 25-year-old Mbappe has joined his compatriots at Real Madrid: defender Ferland Mendy, and midfielders Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni. The French trio recently helped the Spanish powerhouse win the 2024 UEFA Champions League title on June 1.
Known for his pace, dribbling, and finishing skills, Mbappe is now among the club’s popular French legends such as midfielder Zinedine Zidane, forward Karim Benzema, and Real Madrid’s former French central defender Raphael Varane.
Real Madrid, one of the biggest football clubs, had always star-studded squads in their 122-year history as the Whites have a habit of making blockbuster signings every year, and they signed Mbappe in the 2024 summer.
Paris-born Mbappe has drawn attention while he was a Monaco youngster, where he won the French Ligue 1 title in 2017.
Then he joined the French powerhouse PSG to develop himself. Mbappe secured six French league titles in seven seasons as a PSG regular, as well as four French Cups.
He helped France win the 2018 World Cup held in Russia, and the 2021 UEFA Nations League with Les Bleus.
Mbappe is a world-class player in the offense, scoring 256 goals in 308 matches for PSG to be the Paris club’s all-time top scorer.
As the French team’s 2023-24 campaign completed two weeks ago, his time at PSG ended. Mbappe’s PSG contract will expire by the end of June as Real Madrid signed him on free transfer.
He is not the only France player to have passed through Real Madrid. But there are many.
Throughout history, 22 French players, including Mbappe, have been part of Real Madrid and some of them have made big impacts on the pitch such as Zidane and Karim Benzema.
Former France forward Nicolas Anelka played for Real Madrid in the 1999-2000 season, and meanwhile, his compatriot Claude Makelele, who played as a defensive midfielder, was a well-known Real Madrid member from 2000 to 2003. But they played there for less than five years.
Creative playmaker, elegant & technical Zidane
One of the greatest players of all time, Zidane played for Real Madrid in 2001-2006, which was the club’s “Galacticos” era.
In the 2000s, Zidane, Portuguese winger Luis Figo, Brazilian superstar Ronaldo, and English midfielder David Beckham joined the Whites as Real Madrid built a star-studded squad for the Spanish La Liga and Champions League campaigns.
The term “Galacticos” (Galactics) refers to football superstars bought by Real Madrid for high transfer fees.
Zidane, a creative playmaker who is a joy to watch with his excellent footwork and vision, left Juventus for Real Madrid in 2001, one of the big moves at that time. In his first season at Real Madrid, he won the 2002 UEFA Champions League title and a UEFA Super Cup.
The French attacking midfielder of Algerian descent scored the winner against Bayer Leverkusen in the Glasgow final that Real Madrid won 2-1. Zidane’s volley found the top corner of the Leverkusen net, a goal which is still remembered by football fans.
Zidane, the 1998 World Cup and men’s Ballon d’Or winner, secured a Spanish title with Real Madrid before his retirement from the game in 2006.
He scored 49 goals and produced 68 assists in 227 matches during his five-year stint at Real Madrid.
The ex-world and European champion was 34 years old by the time he retired from football after the 2006 World Cup final that France lost to rivals Italy on penalties.
Zidane, 51, coached Real Madrid senior team to guide them to the Champions League success in 2016-2018, and secured two Spanish league titles.
Lethal finisher Benzema
Known for his goal-scoring ability in the penalty area and technical skills, Benzema was one of the decent French players in Real Madrid’s history.
An Olympique Lyon product, Benzema, 36, was the Whites’ attacker for 14 years (2009-2023) to win many titles, and a prestigious 2022 men’s Ballon d’Or football award.
Benzema, who is still an active player, was very fruitful at Real Madrid as he scored 354 goals in 648 matches to be the Spanish club’s second all-time top scorer.
His former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now an Al-Nassr forward in Saudi Arabia, scored 450 goals in 2009-2018 to be Real Madrid’s all-time top goal scorer.
Benzema joined Saudi Pro League’s Al-Ittihad in 2023 after winning five Champions League titles, five FIFA Club World Cups, four Spanish La Liga titles, four UEFA Super Cups, and three Spanish Cups.
While playing for the Spanish team, he was promoted to Real Madrid’s captaincy. Benzema was regarded one of the top central forwards during his time at Real Madrid and France.
The ex-France forward is still popular and his contract at Al-Ittihad will end in 2026.
French leader in defence Varane
A much-decorated central defender, Varane was one of the key French players of Real Madrid in 2011-2021 before his move to the English club Manchester United.
Varane, who is known for his leadership, tackling skills, dominance in the air and speed, confirmed to leave Man Utd in the 2024 summer as his contract will run out soon.
He became one of the important defenders in Europe during his decade-long Real Madrid stint.
As a Real Madrid player, Varane bagged four Champions League titles, four FIFA Club World Cups, and three UEFA Super Cup trophies, as well as three Spanish league titles.
He scored 17 goals in 360 matches for Real Madrid.
The 31-year-old represented France in three World Cup finals: 2014, 2018, and 2022.
Varane helped France lift the 2018 World Cup and 2021 Nations League before he stepped back from France duty in February 2023.
