French superstar Kylian Mbappe was officially unveiled as a Real Madrid player on Tuesday, telling 80,000 fans “my dream has come true”.

The striker, who had completed his medical earlier on Tuesday morning, signed a five-year contract and was handed a No. 9 shirt by club president Florentino Perez. “Wow,” Mbappe said in Spanish to roars from a packed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

“For years I’ve dreamed of playing for Real Madrid and today my dream has come true,” said the 25-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain player. “I’m a happy boy. I’m going to give my life for this club,” said Mbappe.

Accompanied by his parents watching from the crowd and with a former French hero of the club, Zinedine Zidane, in attendance, Mbappe was emotional as the crowd chanted his name, and at one point kissed the jersey of the reigning Spanish and European champions.

Mbappe is “an exceptional player who comes to help us continue winning, a player who today fulfils the dream of his life,” said Perez. “Welcome to your home.”

 

July 16, 2024

Exciting offensive trio

Although his new teammates began training on Monday, the forward, who captained France during their unsuccessful Euros campaign, will have a few more days off before kicking off his season in the Spanish capital.

The unveiling of Real’s latest Galactico allowed its fans to continue celebrating following Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph on Sunday. The crowd was expected to be bigger than that 15 years ago when Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled.

The free tickets were snapped up rapidly with some fans reportedly trying to resell them to take advantage of the hype surrounding the arrival of arguably the world’s best striker.

At Real, Mbappe will form part of an offensive trio alongside England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Brazil attacker Vinicius Junior under the watch of veteran Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti. That prospect is already exciting fans of the club who won their 15th Champions League title in June.

Los Blancos begin the defence of their La Liga crown with a match against Real Mallorca on the weekend of August 17-18. Mbappe’s debut might have to wait until the following week when Real Madrid face Real Valladolid who were recently promoted from the second division.

Number 9 Mbappe shirts went on sale last Thursday in Real’s club shops which are covered with his image. Mbappe arrives after a personally disappointing Euros campaign, where he was overshadowed by Spain’s new teenage sensation Lamine Yamal of Madrid’s rivals Barcelona and France lost to Spanish in the semi-finals.

That followed a difficult season with PSG following his decision not to renew his contract, with the striker – who was the Paris club’s all-time top scorer – admitting he felt “liberated, relieved” by his transfer to Real.

The club is hoping to offset the costs – a salary of at least 15 million euros ($16.3 million) per season and a signing bonus of more than 100 million euros – through sponsorship deals and ticket and merchandise sales.

Mbappe is hoping the move will finally see him win a Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, two of his lifelong objectives.

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Real Madrid president Perez says Mbappe fulfilled his life’s dream

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Florentino Perez was in charge of welcoming Kylian Mbappe to the club. The Real Madrid president thanked him for joining the club, where he is fulfilling ‘the dream of his life’.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said in his welcome speech to Frenchman Kylian Mbappe that he ‘fulfils the dream of his life’ by signing for Real Madrid thanks to having broken ‘the barriers and obstacles’ on the road that ‘led’ him to the Santiago Bernabeu.

“Twelve years ago, Zidane invited a boy to Real Madrid City who is the protagonist of this event. The time has come to welcome an exceptional player who is coming to help us continue winning. A player who is fulfilling the dream of his life. We welcome Kylian Mbappe,” he said.

“Dear Kylian. You are now at Real Madrid. Welcome home and congratulations on achieving your dream. I know very well what you and your family are feeling right now. You fell in love with Real Madrid as a child, you were in this stadium when you were only 13 years old and your eyes were already shining with emotion. You will never forget that day in December 2012 when Zidane invited you to visit Real Madrid City,” he added.

Perez emphasised the effort Kylian Mbappe has made. “I want you to know that your love for Real Madrid has given you the strength to break all the barriers and obstacles on the road that led you to this stadium. Since you were a child you have seen that this club has something different, in this stadium things happen that are difficult, and it’s because this shirt never gives up and these fans will always be with you until the end,” he said.

“You have achieved your dream because you have never given up. You are here because you wanted to be, only your willpower has been able to overcome adversity. Thank you for making an effort that many can’t even imagine to be able to wear this white shirt, the one with 15 European Cups”, he continued.

Florentino Perez also wanted to highlight Mbappe’s work with his foundation ‘Inspired by KM’, which helps children in Paris in their training for working life. Values that the Real Madrid president said he ‘shares’ with the club.

“Your family is with you. They have seen your effort and sacrifice to overcome everything and face your great challenges. You come to Real Madrid with a great track record. I thank you for your unconditional love and passion for Real Madrid. Kylian, welcome to your home. Welcome to Real Madrid,” concluded Florentino.