On Tuesday, French superstar Kylian Mbappe was officially presented as a Real Madrid player, assuring 80,000 fans that “my dream has come true”.
The attacker, who had finished his physical earlier on Tuesday morning, signed a five-year contract and was given the number nine 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.”
Exciting offensive trio
Although his new teammates began practicing on Monday, the forward, who captained France during their unsuccessful Euros campaign, will take a few more days off before beginning his season in the Spanish city.
The introduction of Real Madrid’s next Galactico allowed fans to continue rejoicing after Spain won Euro 2024 on Sunday.
The gathering was supposed to be larger than 15 years ago, when Cristiano Ronaldo was introduced.
The complimentary tickets were quickly picked up, with some fans allegedly attempting to resell them to capitalise on the excitement surrounding the arrival of arguably the world’s best striker.
Mbappe will be part of an aggressive three at Real Madrid, alongside England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Brazil striker Vinicius Junior, coached by legendary Italian Carlo Ancelotti.
That idea is already delighting fans of the club, who won its 15th Champions League title in June.
Los Blancos defend their La Liga title with a match against Real Mallorca on August 17-18.
Mbappe’s debut may have to wait until the following week, when Real Madrid play Real Valladolid, who were just promoted from the second tier.
Number 9 Mbappe shirts, featuring his likeness, went on sale last Thursday in Real Madrid’s club boutiques.
Mbappe returns off a personally disappointing Euros campaign in which he was overshadowed by Spain’s new teenage wonder Lamine Yamal of Madrid’s rivals Barcelona, and France lost to Spain in the semi-finals.
Following a difficult season with PSG following his choice not to renew his contract, the striker — the Paris club’s all-time top scorer — admitted he felt “liberated, relieved” by his move to Real Madrid.
The club hopes to cover the expenditures — a salary of at least 15 million euros ($16.3 million) per season and a signing bonus of more than 100 million euros — with sponsorship deals, ticket and retail sales.
Mbappe hopes the move will finally allow him to win the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, two of his career goals.