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HAVING already captured one crown jewel in Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid are set to acquire another in French super-scorer Kylian Mbappe.
Spain’s most revered club’s ambition is to rule the Champions League for a long time. At the Bernabeu, they crave to change popular opinion that Manchester City are the finest team in the world.
It may happen soon enough on the field, but it might also eventually be aided if City fall foul of alleged financial offences and face a near-unbridgeable barrier to buying ultra-expensive players.
You can be sure Pep Guardiola will have much to say in football language whether or not his bargaining position is weakened.
But no matter who wins Europe’s major competition this June, in Mbappe, Real have another ace to play.
Pep, proud of his Catalan background, has won the Champions League three times as a manager, twice at Barcelona where previously he had played for 15 years.
His latest triumph came last season with City’s first, 12 months after Real’s 14th.
So a claim to be ‘the Greatest’ is paper-thin and Guardiola would not be silly enough to use it. Still, it’s the sort of plaudits supporters love and, after all, they are the people who matter.
The passion of the Barca-Real rivalry is replicated to a degree in City-United.
But there is no doubt in my mind that while Pep would be unhappy at United becoming top dogs in the Premier League, there is one real — and Real — lasting challenge for any aspiring team.
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City were never likely to chase Mbappe’s signature. The oil money is there but not the circumstances.
Anyway, for all the threat of Mbappe, Pep has just as potent a scorer in Erling Haaland.
There is also a warning to Real boss Carlo Ancelotti in the fate of Paris Saint-Germain’s bank-shaking bid for greatness in buying three of the best forwards in the game and stepping back to watch it happen. It never did.
The trio of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe were never able to capture Europe’s top trophy.
And this season at Bayern Munich the costly addition of Harry Kane was supposed to guarantee their 12th consecutive Bundesliga title. How the mighty are kicked in the pants.
In fairness to PSG, they are still in this season’s Champions League and their prospects of winning the trophy were kept active this week by a 2-0 home win in the last 16 against Real Sociedad. Guess who scored the opening goal?
Over at Real, Mbappe — with Vinicius Junior alongside him — are powerful reasons for manager Ancelotti to believe his side will be stronger next season.
But the loss of Luka Modric and the ageing of Tony Kroos suggests that his midfield may not be quite so overwhelming.
Ancelotti led teams to four Champions Leagues and was sacked by Chelsea a year after his side won the Premier League and FA Cup.
There was madness as well as greatness in the days of Roman Abramovich.
Mbappe was always likely to join Real, his favourites even as a lad in Paris.
Maybe several English clubs thought about bidding but it became less likely as the effects of the £105million rule that cost Everton ten points became clear.
Even the richest will have to balance purchases against sales and City themselves are selling fine young players such as Cole Palmer to Chelsea.
Guardiola will work his way through this problem, no doubt. He has a classic team and, in Haaland and Phil Foden, two young forwards to match any.
Neither will City, the first club to win the Treble of Prem, FA Cup and Champions League, be frightened of any side.
