Time for Kylian Mbappe to join the 'Pivot Gang'! Real Madrid will need potential new superstar to embrace No.9 role for fearsome forward line to truly function

Ahead of that fateful Reims match, Mbappe had made it clear for some time that he needed to play alongside a central striker, rather than be the focal point himself. The Frenchman felt that having a big presence up front would allow him to dart in behind, and make clever runs around the pitch - a modern, modified version of the old-fashioned big man-little man system.

And in some ways, Mbappe had a point. He has repeatedly been at his best in a France shirt when paired with Olivier Giroud, the big striker serving as a focal point around which Mbappe thrives.

In the summer of 2022, it seemed that his wish to have a similar player to work with at PSG might come true. Mbappe had signed a massive new contract to stay in Paris, and it was clear that he expected a No.9 to arrive in the aftermath. But the Parisian hierarchy didn't provide him with one. Football advisor Luis Campos reportedly looked into signing Benfica's Goncalo Ramos, but the deal never materialised. And while promising Rennes striker Hugo Ekitike was signed, but never cracked the XI.

So while Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar still made for a fearsome front three, it forced the former to play a role he didn't feel he was best suited to. He made that clear during the September international break of 2022, highlighting the differences between playing for PSG and the national team:

"I play differently [with France]," he said. "I am asked other things here compared to with my club. I have a lot more freedom here. The coach knows that there is a number 9 like Olivier who occupies the defences and I can walk around and go into space. In Paris, it's different, there isn't that. I am asked to do the pivot, it is different."

Galtier refused to get dragged into a media feud, and instead placated his disgruntled star. "His analysis is fair," Galtier admitted. "He isn’t in the same configuration here as he is with the French national team. It is a conversation I had with him during the pre-season and one that I also had with the president and Luis Campos."

Still, the damage had been done. Mbappe was scoring goals, but he wasn't happy. The Parisians responded by overcompensating last summer, bringing in two natural No.9s in Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani. Mbappe, as a result, is averaging over a goal per game, and even though Luis Enrique has fiddled with his XIs - and sometimes uses Mbappe in a central role - the France forward had a point when it came to how he fit in under Galtier.

Galtier's PSG side failed to succeed in the biggest competitions for a number of reasons, and Mbappe's apparent misuse was one of them. Neither Messi nor Neymar played particularly high up the pitch, forcing him to stay locked in the left channel - making the Parisians an ultimately predictable force. Yes, Mbappe still bagged 41 goals as PSG won Ligue 1, but there was a nagging feeling that with a better set-up, he could have done more - and Galtier's side might simply have been better.

It would appear, though, that with the right personnel around him at Madrid, that Mbappe could be an elite, mobile striker. Too often at PSG, he is asked to drop deep and link-up play. In the Spanish capital, though, he would be afforded the chance to play off the last man, and work as part of a deadly trio alongside Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr.

All three are able passers and smart runners with and without the ball, and if Madrid are able to operate on the counter-attack - something that Carlo Ancelotti likes his teams to do - then Mbappe could score goals in spades.

This season, Real Madrid have played a 4-4-2 diamond, with Jude Bellingham operating as a false 9/No.10 hybrid, floating around the final third of the pitch. He acts as a perfect presence to set up chances for the split strikers - Rodrygo and Vinicius - who buzz around in front of him, as well as scoring a bucket load himself. It's a clever system - one that has unlocked the best in Bellingham and made Los Blancos among the favourites to win the Champions League once again.

Next season, though, Ancelotti seems set to switch back to his preferred 4-3-3 - with Mbappe as the central presence. Vinicius would seem to be a shoo-in on the left-hand side, while Rodrygo should have sole claim of the right side - although Brahim Diaz and Federico Valverde could also occupy the position.

Roles might not be so rigid here - Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo figure to be a fluid trio. But the framework is there for an all-action, devastating front three.

The issue is, though, Mbappe has never been particularly good at operating as a central striker. He is at his best when drifting, and gliding into the left half space - the same channel where Vinicius lives. There is simply not enough space on a football pitch for Vinicius and Mbappe to do the same thing (never mind the fact that it would make Madrid immensely predictable).

Perhaps an appropriate point of reference would be the way that Benzema operated for Los Blancos at his best. Benzema was the ultimate selfless goalscorer. The French striker could do a bit of everything. He could drop deep and run in behind. He could win headers, and score with either foot. His Ballon d'Or winning campaign was constructed around his versatility and willingness to adapt for an already excellent team.

He was rare in the sense that he could do the things that most strikers don't want to do - and also find the net at the right times. Mbappe, it would seem, isn't that type of player. He wants to constantly be involved, and get into the spots he is most comfortable in. He is so impactful because of his ability to do one thing - scamper up, down and around the left channel - better than anyone else in the world.

And that's the point of contention. Vinicius already does that. Mbappe does not have to overhaul his game and become the new Benzema. But he will have to be willing to make the runs to free up space for others, or stay central. He might touch the ball less, and get it in the areas where he doesn't usually make his biggest impact. For the first time, Mbappe will have to be unselfish.

In 2022, when extended his PSG stay, Mbappe got his own way on almost every single point. He was given a massive signing-on bonus, bagged one of the biggest salaries in football history, and secured yearly "loyalty" payouts for staying with the club every season. According to some estimates, PSG are expected to save nearly €200 million per year without him. And then there are the less material things the club will be unburdened of, such as Mbappe reportedly having de-facto control of transfer negotiations.

So far, it appears, Mbappe will surrender some of those perks at Madrid. His reported deal with Los Blancos comes with a far lower salary than he was offered by Madrid in 2022. There are variables here, but it seems that he will only be making marginally more than Bellingham and Vinicius. And although he will take home a handsome €150 million (£128m/$162m) signing bonus, that chunk is set to be spread out over the duration of his contract. Make no mistake, Mbappe is still being paid, but this is not the kind of mind-boggling money he could have received had he elected to stay at PSG.

It would be inaccurate to cast Mbappe's new deal as a heroic act of selflessness. Still, it is perhaps indicative of a more reasonable player-club relationship. And with such an agreement might come something resembling compromise in a tactical sense. Mbappe is being treated like a star, but he's not above the club. That can only be a good thing - on and off the pitch.

This setup - should it materialise - could mean sacrifices elsewhere. And Madrid's current star man seems the most likely player to be hurt by it. Bellingham's output has been maximised this year, with the Englishman allowed total freedom to operate in an advanced role. It has worked as a byproduct of the precise construction of the Madrid setup. Bellingham is allowed to play so high up because he will also put in the defensive legwork, while the rest of the Madrid midfield is packed with the right balance of stamina and quality. Everything is in equilibrium.

But next year, things could look different. Bellingham, it would seem, would have to play deeper, with Mbappe as a central striker. Ancelotti, too, will have to play with three midfielders. That would likely mean leaving two of Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Toni Kroos and Aurelien Tchouameni out every week. And even that assumes that the suddenly aging Luka Modric departs - which is far from a given.

There's previous here. Valverde was developing into a world-class attacking midfielder last season, and has wholly embraced a deeper role this campaign. Camavinga has been converted into an elite full-back. Angel Di Maria was reinvented as a centre-midfielder during the 2013-14 campaign - the formation of the Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema necessitating a new role for the winger.

The Italian boss isn't afraid to change things up. The onus is on his team to willingly adapt. And Mbappe is next.

It has been an easy criticism of Los Blancos this year that they lack a central goalscorer. So far, Bellingham has picked up the slack admirably, but they never really replaced Karim Benzema when he departed for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in June. Joselu has been an encouraging fill-in at times. Still, the veteran Spaniard is far from elite - at best a handy option off the bench.

So far, that hasn't been a problem. Bellingham's production, with contributions from Diaz, Vinicius and Rodrygo thrown in, has made Los Blancos a dangerous attacking unit. But his goals have rather dried up of late, the Englishman scoring three in his last eight games from open play - before picking up an ankle injury. When the games get tighter, against the elite defensive units of the Champions League, Los Blancos don't really have a virtuosic goalscorer.

Man City ran into the same problem, and Pep Guardiola responded by signing Erling Haaland - his presence alone enough to carry them to a historic treble last year. And, like Haaland for City, that is perhaps where Mbappe's real impact will be felt. In the big games, when Los Blancos need an elite goalscorer, a No.9 who can tie everything together, the Frenchman can offer that crucial moment.

Mbappe will still score goals in spades. But for Madrid, he might function as the razor-sharp edge of a dominant attack - the perfect mobile striker that he refused to admit he could be.