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By: Tristen Jones
MILLBROOK, Ala.- Soccer is a renowned sport worldwide and has only been spreading its influence with big names like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. One of the most influential players of today's game, Kylian Mbappe, has recently been offered a record-breaking $1.1 billion to play for Al-Hilal, a Saudi Arabian football club. While this may just seem like any other trade offer, it may be telling us a different story about his future and the future of soccer as a whole.
Photo by: The Real Champs (therealchamps.com)
In this new generation of soccer fans, the players are more valued than the teams they play for. Last season, Paris-Saint Germain’s offense consisted of Mbappe, Neymar, and Messi, three of the most influential players in today’s game. When Messi signed to Inter Miami, PSG lost over 1 million followers less than an hour after the news broke. Even the most followed account on Instagram is Cristiano Ronaldo with over 600 million followers and right behind him is Lionel Messi with 484 million followers. Clearly, the teams are irrelevant and the players are what people follow now.
Saudi Arabian teams understand this and already signed Ronaldo to Al-Nassar around December of last year. According to CNBC, Ronaldo’s contract allegedly earns in $200 million per year. Before news broke of Mbappe’s deal, this would’ve been the largest salary in the history of sports. Considering how valued Ronaldo is, the team will be making millions just because his name is on the roster. Messi followed in similar footsteps and signed a deal with the MLS, more specifically Inter Miami. Messi signed with them in July of this year and will receive $50 to $60 million per year according to the New York Times.
The only difference between those deals and Mbappe’s deal is that his deal is for way more. Ronaldo and Messi’s deals look minuscule when compared to Mbappe’s $1.1 billion dollar deal. Some people might wonder why this is, with Messi and Ronaldo being unanimously considered the best soccer players of today’s game. The main reason, however, is most likely because of their ages. Messi and Ronaldo are both in their 40s and have both stated that the 2022 World Cup would be the last they play in.
On the other hand, Mbappe is only 24 years old and is considerably one of the best players in the world currently. With the amount of potential he possesses and longevity of his career, it is so clear now why Al-Hilal offered so much and wanted him so badly. If he takes this deal, he will be the highest paid athlete of all-time.
Though the deal is a lot of money and says a lot about Mbappe’s future, there is very little chance he takes it. According to Sporting News, there are PSG sources that believe he has already made a deal with Real Madrid. There is still a chance Mbappe takes a one-year contract instead, which would still be record-breaking, but overall it seems Mbappe will end up at Real Madrid. Still, it is clear that Mbappe is the future of soccer and is destined to become a soccer icon.
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