Kylian Mbappe officially signed a 5-year contract and debuted for Real Madrid in a grand ceremony at the Bernabeu. The French striker did not hesitate to express his affection for the white team.//
Mbappe kisses the Real Madrid logo
Immediately after EURO 2024 ended, Real Madrid held a blockbuster unveiling ceremony for Kylian Mbappe at the Bernabeu. More than 75,000 people were present in the stands, giving Mbappe a grand welcome similar to his idol Cristiano Ronaldo 15 years ago.
Kylian Mbappe is considered the world’s number one striker, but Real Madrid did not have to pay a transfer fee to recruit him. The French star left PSG to move to Bernabeu after his contract expired. However, many sources said that Los Blancos had to pay Mbappe more than 100 million euros in signing-on fees, to be paid in installments over the next 5 years. They also only enjoyed 20% of Mbappe’s image rights while the remaining 80% belonged to the striker.
During his presentation, Mbappe did not hesitate to express his affection for Real Madrid. Mbappe tried to move to Bernabeu in previous years but failed. Just this summer, the striker was threatened by PSG to be sent to the youth team and not allowed to play if he did not sign a new contract. However, thanks to coach Enrique and sporting director Campos, Mbappe still gets to play regularly.
In his speech, Mbappe emphasized: “Now I have a new dream. That is to win with Real Madrid. I want to say that I will dedicate my whole life to this club, to this symbol.”
“I want to tell the young players that I am just like them. I had a dream and today, I made it come true. I only have one piece of advice: passion and dream, that will help you achieve what you want.”
“I am so excited right now. I am so happy to be playing for the club of my dreams, the greatest club in the history of football… I can’t say much more, because I am about to cry, but I want to do this with you. One, two, three… Hala Madrid”.
At Real Madrid, Mbappe will wear the number 9 shirt. The French striker has been associated with the number 10 at PSG and the French national team in recent years, but this number at the Bernabeu belongs to Luka Modric, the club’s living legend. Therefore, Mbappe will wait until Modric leaves Los Blancos to take his favorite number 10.”