Real Madrid, having reclaimed the Spanish crown from Barcelona in dominant fashion and secured a record-extending 15th Champions League title, has dealt their rivals a devastating blow by securing the services of Kylian Mbappe.
The acquisition of the world's most coveted footballer solidifies Real Madrid's status as a global powerhouse and further widens the gulf between the two Spanish giants.
Barcelona, mired in financial turmoil of their own making, simply cannot compete with Real Madrid's financial might. Mbappe's arrival on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain is a coup for Los Blancos, as the Catalan club could never dream of affording the 25-year-old's exorbitant wages and signing-on fee.
Over the past decade, Barça squandered hundreds of millions of euros on failed signings, including Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele, and Antoine Griezmann, as well as satisfying a sky-high wage bill.
Madrid's financial muscle is showcased by the fact they already boast Vinicius Junior, who likes to play in the same area on the left side of the attack, so Mbappe could even be considered a luxury arrival.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti will have to reconfigure his attacking setup, with Rodrygo Goes potentially dropping out of the side to accommodate Mbappe.
However, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez sees Mbappe as the final piece of the puzzle to go with their completed Santiago Bernabeu stadium refurbishment.
By contrast, Barcelona of late have contented themselves with loan arrivals and out-of-contract stars reaching the tail end of their careers and looking for one last challenge.
They were unable to adequately replace veteran defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets last summer, and their defense crumbled.
France captain Mbappe's marquee arrival and numerous other already acquired young stars, including England international Jude Bellingham, can help Madrid dominate La Liga for years to come.
In response, Barcelona may look to hit back by targeting Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao for the left flank of their attack.
The Spain international's 50 million euro ($54 million) release clause makes him a more financially feasible option for the cash-strapped Catalans than other players of similar quality.
However, any significant arrivals would require Barcelona to first offload players to balance the books, potentially sacrificing some squad depth and balance.
The Catalans are reduced to hoping Mbappe's arrival could upset the harmony in Madrid's dressing room, given his superstar status. Ancelotti may also take time to find the best system to fit the forward in.
Having committed to giving part of their television revenue away for the next quarter of a century in exchange for heavy investment two summers ago, Barcelona will need to rely heavily on their La Masia youth academy.
Various brilliant young players, including Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, have emerged recently, giving hope they can continue to battle Madrid's millions with homegrown talent.
Barcelona has been on the sharp end of Mbappe's explosive talent already, with the forward netting twice in April to knock them out of the Champions League in the last eight.
Including a hat trick in 2021, Mbappe has six goals in four games against Barcelona.
Other Spanish sides will be dreading Mbappe's impact too.
With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's goalscoring exploits in the past, it has been eight years since any player has scored 40 league goals, but Mbappe has the capacity.
Opponents will likely sit deeper and deeper against Madrid to stop Mbappe and Vinicius from vaporizing them on the counterattack, as they so often did against Barcelona in their heyday under Pep Guardiola.
Now the Catalans are bracing themselves for what Madrid and Perez hope will be a similar era of glittering success rather than another failed Galactico experiment.
