Madrid finally get Kylian Mbappé – but do they need a shiny new collectible?

At last! Real Madrid have announced the signing of Kylian Mbappé, a deal that was reportedly done in February; a pursuit that began in the Mesozoic era. There have been bumps along the way but it was always going to materialise at some point, donning the whites at the Bernabéu a boyhood dream for the Parisian. And while most of us grow out of our pre-adolescent craze for Panini stickers [better skip over Quote of the Day, then – Football Daily Ed], Madrid’s chief suit, Florentino Pérez, is not most of us. Nearly a quarter of a century since he nicked Luís Figo from Barcelona, Pérez, his eyes bulging outside the toy store, has not lost his desire for the latest shiny collectible. Even after winning Big Cup for the sixth time in 10 years, he just had to have him.

One could almost feel sorry for the state-backed, uber-rich, monopolising entity that is Paris Saint-Germain, losing their star man as a free agent after another season without European glory, their own galacticos era coming to a close without the trophy they so desperately desire. That is until one realises this is the state-backed, uber-rich, monopolising entity that is PSG, making the whole episode, actually, very funny. Madrid can feel a little smug but there’s also a slight awkwardness to deal with here, that of the megastar entering a perfectly functioning dressing room that, truth be told, doesn’t need him.

How to accommodate Vinícius Júnior alongside Mbappé, with both inclined to venture out on the wing before bursting into the middle? For all the potential damage the partnership could cause, there’s also the prospect of them playing bumper cars on the left-hand side. The club’s own history also tells us that signing an electric world-beating forward straight after continental success is no guarantee of a trophy glut. The original Ronaldo, fresh off winning the 2002 World Cup and 25 years young – the same as Mbappé today – was signed just months after Zinedine Zidane’s balletically thunderous volley against Leverkusen secured Madrid their third Big Cup in five seasons. A 12-year wait would follow for la décima, and only one league title encompassed R9’s four-and-a-half seasons at the club.

So yes, it’s time for Carlo Ancelotti to do his thing. The ultimate big-player manager, Ancelotti continues to exude the calming qualities of a botanical garden, making him the best man equipped to work Mbappé safely into the mix. If he’s ever inclined to dish out the odd hairdryer, Ancelotti’s Smint-guzzling over the weekend suggests he’ll even offer something refreshing with an outburst. The 64-year-old is a scented candle, a bar of chocolate, an Etta James vinyl; a care package made flesh. Get Mbappé roaming around in sync with the rest of the Madridistas and Ancelotti can begin thinking about his sixth – cue eyebrow raise – Big Cup as a manager.

Join Taha Hashim at 8pm BST for minute-by-minute updates on France 3-1 England in Euro 2025 qualifying.

“If a big-name player comes out, you get a buzz … It’s a special place to be when you hit the big cards and being known as the pack king, I’ve got to keep it up, haven’t I? It’s brilliant, to be honest. They’re all putting ‘let’s go Bunting mental’ in the chat and I think I’ve gained a lot of new followers as well from people who didn’t know me” – world No 16 darts player Stephen Bunting describes the, erm, thrill of opening packets as he explains how he became a big deal among sticker heads after popping up on a Paolo Panini TikTok channel live stream.

Thanks to our friends at the Guardian Print Shop, we’re giving away one more David Squires cartoon on Friday. To enter, just write us a letter for publication below. We will choose the best of our letter o’ the day winners at the end of each week and that worthy winner will then be given a voucher for one of our top, top cartoonist’s prints. And if you’re not successful, you can scan the full archive of David’s cartoons here and buy your own. Terms and conditions for the competition can be viewed here.

Speaking of which, here’s our cartoonist’s latest offering on the Big Cup final that was, including Carlo Ancelotti’s winning vibes and Vinícius Jr’s coronation as the winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or!.

So José Mourinho already feels loved by Fenerbahce (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition)? The boom-bust cycle seems unusually compressed this time around. Maybe he’ll be gone by Friday?” – John Nielsen-Gammon.

Good to see Mourinho ingratiating himself with the Fenerbahce fans. And nice that he promises ‘that from this moment I belong to your family’. Yep. All families have that weird uncle [rings a distant bell – Football Daily Ed] who can cause a fight in an empty room, and personally, I can’t think of a more fitting candidate to dampen down the extreme emotion and conspiracy nonsense that has plagued Turkish football of late. Still, it should make for some interesting Squires work” – Colin Reed.

All those suggestions for Roy Hodgson action figures (Football Daily letters passim) yet no mention of Fighting Roy?” – Alan Burgess.

How about an All Action Alan Pardew, akin to Action Man’s moving eyes via a switch on his head – one press could produce a Pardew headbutt. And maybe a double-press enters Cup Final Disco Dad Dance mode” – Darren.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s letter o’ the day winner is … John Nielsen-Gammon, who now has the chance to win a David Squires cartoon from our print shop at the end of the week. Terms and conditions for all this can be viewed here.

A Real Madrid security staff member has been charged with common assault relating to an incident involving a Wembley steward at Saturday’s Big Cup final.

Fifa has ruled that Emilio Nsue, top scorer at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, was never eligible to play for Equatorial Guinea throughout his 11-year international career. He has been banned for six months.

Scotland have managed the impressive two-hander of dampening down any hype, yet coming out of a warm-up with a win, heaving to a 2-0 victory over the might of Gibraltar in Portugal.

West Ham have joined Leverkusen in a dash to sign Girona’s midfield dynamo Aleix García.

Bruno Fernandes wants more cash if he’s going to continue to play a central role in the fun and games at Manchester United. And that’s if they even want to keep him. Meanwhile, having been accused of playing like he was on the beach at times last season, Casemiro has joined the board of directors at Marbella after becoming a stakeholder in the Spanish club.

England will not compromise on their style of play just to be unpredictable, cheered Sarina Wiegman as the Lionesses prepared to take on France.

Uncertainty surrounding Mikel Arteta’s long-term future at Arsenal only keeps him hungry to knock Manchester City off their Premier League perch. “[In] this profession having this uncertainty is quite helpful,” he cooed. “At least, it motivates me.”

Burton have appointed Chelsea Under-21s coach Mark Robinson as their new boss following the departure of Martin Paterson.

And forget the Big Cup trophy and individual awards: Top Trumps! Top Trumps! Top Trumps! Top Trumps!

He’s one of the finest midfielders the Premier League has ever seen, geometrically cutting apart opposing teams and pinging beautiful passes behind backlines to great acclaim. He’s won six league titles, Big Cup and a suitcase-load of other gongs to boot. Oh, and he earns around £21m a year, too. So what more is there for Kevin De Bruyne to aim for? Well, the Saudi Pro League it would appear. “At my age you have to be open to everything. If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws. “I have to think about my future. These are also conversations that we are increasingly having as a family. I still have one year left on my [Manchester City] contract, so I have to think about what could happen.” Sigh.

The Euros are coming and our Experts’ Network team guides continue with No 3 Scotland and No 4 Switzerland.

Louise Taylor dishes out the player ratings after England’s 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Jacob Steinberg reckons Luke Shaw’s fitness race could be the difference between success and failure at the Euros.

Settle in for a long Sid Lowe read on Kylian Mbappé and Madrid.

Xabi Alonso and unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen rewrote history but Andy Brassell tips his hat to Stuttgart and Harry Kane’s wonder goal in his complete Bundesliga review.

It should be no surprise that Todd Boehly and co have been shopping for Chelsea managers the way they have been for managers. Enzo Maresca surely knows his fate, writes Jonathan Liew.

And here’s Jonathan again on José Mourinho walking straight into Fenerbahce’s seething cauldron with forces far beyond his control.

Hands up if you remember the Euro 2000 mascot? We didn’t either. His name was Benelucky, a lion with devil’s tail and human hands. Given the tournament was hosted jointly by Belgium and the Netherlands, it incorporated elements of both nations’ national flags and its name was a portmanteau of “Benelux”, the term for the three nations of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. As for the ending? “Lucky” is a simple message of “good luck” to participating teams. Now you know.