if anyone had to leave, it would be Vinicius, albeit for a huge sum of money.

This has left Rodrygo feeling a little sidelined, both on and off the pitch.

Real Madrid also needs to identify Jude Bellingham's role in this environment upon his imminent return.

Commercially, Mbappe is everywhere.

He has retained 80% of his commercial rights, although that figure varies depending on the region where the club is selling their products.

Last weekend's match against Real Sociedad was the first of seven games they face in 21 days—five in La Liga and two in the Champions League.

In that match, we saw a fresh Mbappe, although not at his peak.

He moved all over the frontline, made more runs with the ball than in any other game, dropped deeper, and was more involved.

Vinicius and Mbappe did not pass to each other much in the first matches of the season, but their connection was the strongest on the pitch last weekend.

As far as the club is concerned, while it might take a little longer to put Mbappe in the category of the best in the world, everyone believes it is only a matter of time before he becomes the main star at the world's biggest club.

Mbappe aims to establish himself in Madrid while still battling his former club Paris St-Germain after a contentious departure and struggling to maintain the respect of the French national team he has represented with distinction.

Things came to a head recently when France was convincingly beaten at home in a Nations League match against Italy.

After the match, France goalkeeper Mike Maignan launched a blistering attack against the whole team, including, without naming names, the so-called stars (Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann) who averted their gaze as he criticized them for a lack of desire and aggression.

L'Equipe, a powerful sports media organization in France, suggested that Mbappe is currently disconnected from the France team.

Hours before the game against Belgium, Mbappe told the media he believed the team needed better tactical work to adapt to the coach's requirements, which many saw as a thinly-veiled criticism of manager Didier Deschamps.

It is important to note that while performing well for both his former club and country, Mbappe was untouchable and beyond reproach.

He was a symbol of Paris and a national hero for staying at PSG until the Olympic Games, something he did after receiving a lot of pressure from everyone, including President Emmanuel Macron.

Since leaving France, it has been open season towards Mbappe from fans, the media, and specifically PSG, who have about 46 million reasons to increase the animosity against their former golden boy.

Mbappe insists PSG owes him £46 million in back wages and promised bonus payments.

The club disagrees, claiming he waived the money in exchange for being included in the squad for PSG's pre-season tour of Japan last summer.

The league has now ruled in favor of Mbappe and ordered the club to pay him the money, which PSG will appeal against.