Real Madrid have now confirmed the arrival of Paris Saint-Germain attacker Kylian Mbappe, in one of the most high-profile transfers of all time.
Mbappe joins on a free transfer after seven outstanding years at PSG, and arrives at Real Madrid as one of the best players in the world.
It is a Galactico signing on the level with some of the very best, including the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in 2009.
Ronaldo arrived as a Champions League and Ballon d’Or winner, both of which Mbappe is yet to win, but the Frenchman arrives as a World Cup winner, and one of just two players in history to score a hattrick in the final.
Both players were attackers who featured in different positions across the front line, with their supreme speed, skill and deadly finishing making them a nightmare to defend against, and both had incredible goal, assist and trophy records prior to their arrivals at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Kylian Mbappe goals and assists compared to Cristiano Ronaldo before Real Madrid move
Mbappe has featured for two clubs in his career so far, AS Monaco and PSG, both in France and in the Champions League.
In 60 appearances for Monaco, Mbappe scored 27 and assisted 16 times as a teenager following a stunning breakthrough into a team which reached the Champions League semi-finals.
This earned him a huge move to PSG, and he has continued to reach incredible heights. In 308 games for the Parisians, Mbappe scored 256 goals, and assisted 108 times, at a rate of 96 minutes per goal.
Ronaldo began his career at Sporting Club De Portugal, scoring five times and providing six assists in 31 games as a wonderkid before moving to Manchester United.
In 292 appearances under Sir Alex Ferguson in his first spell at Old Trafford, Ronaldo scored 188 goals, and assisted 59 times, at a rate of 189 minutes per goal.
Mbappe therefore has a superior goal and assist record at club level to what Ronaldo managed before his move to Real Madrid, but the trophy count is where the Portuguese star has the superiority.
Cristiano Ronaldo trophy haul prior to Real Madrid move surpasses Kylian Mbappe
In his time at United, Ronaldo won everything available, with two League Cups, one FA Cup, three Premier League titles, one Champions League and one Club World Cup, a total of eight major trophies.
He also won a Premier League Golden Boot and a FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award, as well as a Ballon d’Or.
Mbappe meanwhile, has won seven Ligue 1 titles, including one with Monaco, as well as four French Cups, two French League Cups and three French Super Cups in a dominant PSG side.
Ronaldo’s Champions League victory, as well as his Ballon d’Or puts him ahead of Mbappe at the respective times of their arrivals in profile, but the Frenchman at 25 was a better goalscorer than Ronaldo at 24, but his Real Madrid records will be hard to top even for a player of Mbappe’s talent and pedigree.