Cristiano Ronaldo also changed his shirt number early into his Madrid career. Like Mbappe, the Portugal international wore the No 9 after joining the club from Manchester United in the summer of 2009. He inherited Raul’s No 7 shirt from the 2010/11 season onwards.

As the only two natural strikers in Alonso’s squad, both Endrick and Gonzalo would fit the mold of the No. 9 shirt at Real Madrid. Yet the “heated” battle between the two players puts the club in a tricky position, forced to choose between the teenage sensation they once believed in or the breakout star that more-than proved his worth this summer.

Real Madrid have categorically decided not to hand Vinicius the same salary as team-mate Kylian Mbappe. According to SER Deportivos, the Los Blancos will