Real Madrid News
Brazilian legend heaps praise on Real Madrid superstar at World Cup – “He surpassed Lionel Messi”
Despite France’s heartbreaking defeat to Spain in the semifinals, Kylian Mbappe has been undoubtedly one of the best performers at the World Cup.
This was evident in his recent exploits in the third-place playoff against England, where he scored a brace to overtake Lionel Messi as the all-time goalscorer in the FIFA World Cup.
Mbappe’s blistering performances have led to widespread praise and the latest to join the bandwagon has been none other than Rivaldo.
Rivaldo hails Mbappe’s milestone
Taking to Instagram, the Brazilian Ballon d’Or winner reflected on a goal-laden third-place clash, but reserved his highest praise for Mbappe and the historic milestone he reached.
“Ten goals and England winning 6-4, securing third place for them. But the standout event, for me, was Kylian Mbappe.
He surpassed Lionel Messi in the World Cup all-time scorers’ list, reaching 22 goals in 22 matches. That’s something only a few can achieve,” Rivaldo said.
The Brazilian was equally impressed by Mbappe’s sustained excellence across multiple tournaments.
“And there’s another detail: few players manage to participate in three consecutive World Cups and always reach the final stages, as he did in 2018 and 2022 and now in 2026. This shows the consistency and level he’s maintained for many years,” he added.
Backed to break more records
Rivaldo went on to suggest that Mbappe is far from finished, predicting the Frenchman could have two more World Cups in him and cement his place atop the record books for good.
“And honestly, I believe he still has two more World Cups ahead of him. If he keeps up this pace, it will be very difficult for anyone to surpass that record,” the 2002 World Cup winner concluded.
The praise caps a stunning individual tournament for Mbappe, who once again underlined his status as one of the finest players on the planet.
For Real Madrid supporters, his form is a hugely encouraging sign ahead of the new campaign.
Having broken France’s all-time scoring record earlier in the competition and now moved past Messi on the World Cup charts, Mbappe returns to the Bernabeu brimming with confidence.
La Liga released the salary limits of all 20 clubs yesterday and, rather unsurprisingly, Real Madrid were once again the club with the highest limit.
Los Blancos saw their salary cap increase to €832.8 million, underlining the exceptionally strong financial position they continue to occupy.
Now, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, La Liga corporate director Javier Gomez explained the mechanism under which Madrid saw their salary limit increase.
La Liga explains Madrid’s increase
Gomez explained that the increase comes from a rule available to financially healthy clubs that meet the required economic ratios.
“It is normal. Under the regulations, certain clubs that meet specific ratios and have healthy accounts can use savings accumulated from previous years to increase their limit,” Gomez said.
That explanation is important because Madrid’s increased spending capacity is directly connected to the club’s financial position rather than an exceptional concession from La Liga.
“They can request an increase of up to 25% and they use it. One thing is requesting it and another is actually using it,” he added.
Madrid rewarded for healthy finances
For Real Madrid, the key phrase is “healthy accounts.”
La Liga’s system effectively allows qualifying clubs to make use of financial strength built up in previous seasons.
Madrid have therefore been able to convert accumulated savings into greater flexibility within their squad cost limit.
That does not mean the club must spend everything available to them. As Gomez stressed, being authorised to increase the limit and actually using that entire capacity are two different things.
It nevertheless leaves Madrid with considerable room when planning contracts, renewals and future transfer windows.
Financial strength gives Madrid options
Los Blancos made several marquee signings this summer who would definitely have arrived with significant contract demands.
More importantly, the club committed a lot of money to the renewal of Vinicius Jr. back in the summer.
Since the close of the transfer window, the club have turned their attention to renewing the contracts of their other superstars.
It has been revealed that Madrid have effectively agreed a contract renewal with shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois.
Los Blancos are also accelerating talks to renew Jude Bellingham’s contract before English clubs enter the scene.
Madrid’s strong financial position is allowing them to position themselves aggressively when it comes to securing the future of the squad.
Having the option is valuable, and it remains to be seen how the club use it.
