“I will give my life for this club,” Kylian Mbappé declared in near-perfect Spanish. The latter delighted nearly 80,000 Real Madrid fans on Tuesday during his official presentation at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, during a grandiose ceremony.
“Wow… It’s incredible to be here. I dreamed for years of playing for Real Madrid and today my dream has come true. I’m a happy boy,” Mbappé told his supporters, in front of his parents, moved to tears, and Zinédine Zidane, who has never hidden having wanted to attract the French phenomenon to Real from a very young age.
“Twelve years ago you invited to Valdebebas [le centre d’entraînement du club] “A player who will help us continue winning, and who is fulfilling his life’s dream,” club president Florentino Perez told “Zizou.”
“Kylian, you are here because you wanted to be, you overcame all obstacles to wear this white jersey, the one of the 15 European Cups. Welcome home, welcome to Real Madrid!” he added.
Rock star welcome
For its new “Galactic”, the Spanish club rolled out not a red carpet but a blue carpet to welcome it like a rock star in its new garden, renovated and modernized to be able to attract concerts by the greatest international artists.
Cheered on by tens of thousands of Madrid supporters, some of whom had waited for several hours, the captain of the French team took his first steps on the pitch of the legendary stadium in an atmosphere close to a Champions League match, following in the footsteps of his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, who was also treated to a grandiose presentation ceremony 15 years ago.
The video broadcast on the giant screens also recalled the relationship between the Bondy native and the Portuguese, whose posters covered his childhood bedroom.
After undergoing his medical examination at the La Moraleja hospital, on the outskirts of Madrid, Mbappé finally signed his five-year contract with his president Florentino Pérez at the Madrid club’s training center, posing in front of replicas of the Champions League, his great unfulfilled dream in Paris.
For Mbappé and Real, it is finally the realization of a transfer long hoped for, awaited and postponed.
“No better place to win”
Having left Paris Saint-Germain on a free, Mbappé arrives in Spain after a disappointing Euro on an individual level (one goal from a penalty, one assist), notably as a result of his broken nose during the first match of the tournament which ended in the semi-final for the Blues, eliminated by Spain, who were on the road to their title on Sunday.
The player is also coming off a trying season with the Parisian club, marked by tensions surrounding the non-renewal of his contract – at the beginning of June, he said he felt “liberated” and “relieved” after his transfer to the Spanish capital was made official.
In Madrid, he will form with Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham an attacking trio that is already making fans of the “King of Europe” who won the 1er last June its 15e Champions League.
Asked about his immediate goals at a press conference, Mbappé expressed his wish for “good [s’]adapt to the team, to the collective. When it goes well, things will be much easier, because it is a great team.”
“There is no better place than Real Madrid to win titles,” he also said, speaking of his desire to win the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or.
The reigning Spanish champions, Real Madrid, will begin the championship in Mallorca, on the first day of La Liga, played on the weekend of August 17 and 18. The possible debut at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium of the French superstar could take place the following week, on the occasion of the reception of one of the promoted teams, Real Valladolid (2nd day).
Real Madrid expect to recoup the cost of this transfer, which remains expensive (estimated salary of 15 million euros net per season and signing bonus of over 100 million) thanks to the various economic benefits brought by the French player (sponsorship contracts, shirt sales, ticketing, etc.).