Whether Kylian Mbappé is the “best player in the world”—an accolade that rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi—is difficult to determine.

But when it comes to intellectual property protection, Mbappé is already ahead of the two previous Ballon d’Or winners, ahead of his anticipated move to Real Madrid. The PSG forward, whose nаme and company logo are among his seven EU trademarks, is a testament to his great commercial strength. He also owns the rights to his famous cross-armed goal celebration posture. As per the European Union Intellectual Property Office, each of Messi and Ronaldo have six registered trademarks.

Two of Mbappé’s well-known sayings, “Le football, il a changé (Football has changed)” and “Moi, tu m’parles pas d’âge (You don’t talk to me about age),” have also been licensed for use on merchandise like French mobile apps, electronic games, posters, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, and footwear.

Exclusive rights are granted by an EU trademark in all EU member states, covering a market of about 500 million people. Additionally, it shields owners from fraud and counterfeiting.

According to the EU agency, Mbappé submitted two further applications in February. On the list of soccer players’ EU trademarks, he is the most valuable.

Two years ago, Mbappé’s statement, “Football has changed,” went viral on social media. During a news conference, the astute Frenchman made the comment in response to questions about image rights and sports sponsorship after he declined to participate in a marketing event with the French national team.

Although trademark registration is common in soccer, wоme𝚗’s athletes are not represented in the European intellectual property protection arena.

The EU office stated, “There are no wоme𝚗 among the professional football players in the top European teams, despite the fact that many of them own at least one EU trademark.” “Caroline Graham, Aitana Bonmatí, Marta, Alex Morgan, and Alexandra Putellas are all stars, but they haven’t started playing the IP game yet.”

“Real Madrid is the king of Europe when it comes to clubs,” the EU office declared. The Spanish behemoth is the owner of 24 designs and 33 EU trademarks, including the Bernabeu stadium’s seat designs.

Barcelona, Madrid’s main opponent, is the owner of seven designs and 22 EU trademarks. Manchester United, PSG, and Bayern Munich round up the top five in Europe.

The sound bite “Ici c’est Paris (Here it’s Paris)” is one of Paris Saint-Germain’s trademarks; it was captured straight from the chants of the fans, according to the EU office. All of the major European leagues also own multiple EU trademarks and designs to safeguard their names, logos, and trophy shapes. Major League Soccer (MLSS) in the United States is the owner of various EU trademarks outside of the 27-nation bloc.