Kylian Mbappe Signs for Real Madrid- Is He Los Blancos’ ‘Highest Paid Player’ Now Over Jude Bellingham & Vinicius Jr

Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid is a done deal. After countless back-and-forth sagas, the Frenchman is finally catching a flight to Spain to fulfill his childhood dream. The biggest takeaway from this transfer is that the 2018 World Cup winner is coming for free. However, intrigue remains about Mbappe’s pay scale, particularly whether he will be Los Blancos’ highest-paid player among other stars like Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr.

Before we head on to comparing apples and oranges, let’s know how much Mbappe will earn at Real Madrid. According to Sky Sports, the 25-year-old is set to sign a 5-year contract with an annual net salary of £12.8m ($16.3m). Additionally, the former Monaco player will receive a signing bonus of just over £85m ($108m). Seeing this, it’s clear that Kylian Mbappe is not the highest-paid player at Real Madrid.

This is because, as per Capology, both Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham have an annual salary of €25m ($27m), which includes €20.8m ($22.5m) base salary and €4.1m bonuses. While Mbappe’s salary at Real Madrid is lower than both Vini Jr and Bellingham’s, the signing bonus makes it up for the French international. But there must be additional bonuses included for the PSG superstar which may depend on the goals he scores or even the trophies he helps the Spanish capital to lift. Additionally, there was a reason why couldn’t be made the club’s highest-paid player.

Interestingly, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano had earlier claimed that Mbappe’s pay would be similar to Vinicius and Bellingham to ‘not create an internal problem.’ Unlike PSG who had Mbappe to look for, Madrid has a lot of big names to cater to. Speaking of which, is this salary an upgrade or a downgrade for the winger?

Did Kylian Mbappe take a pay cut to join Real Madrid?

Interestingly, while Kylian Mbappe’s new salary is substantial, it pales in comparison to his earnings at PSG. According to Capology, Mbappe was making $1.4m per week under his current PSG contract, totaling €75m ($80m) gross annually, plus a €30m ($32m) signing-on bonus. This indicates that Mbappe isn’t receiving any special treatment compared to other Real Madrid stars, which isn’t necessarily a negative.

Mbappe’s willingness to accept a lower salary demonstrates his focus on the sporting project rather than financial gain. The Frenchman could have joined almost any club in the world, including the extremely wealthy Saudi Pro League. Yet, his preference for Real Madrid surely impressed Florentino Perez. Certainly, it would also make his case in front of ardent Los Blancos fans. Rest, there’s nothing left for Kylian Mbappe to say but “Hala Madrid!”