He will receive a salary of at least 15 million euros per season and a signing bonus of more than 100 million euros.
ADVERTISEMENTKylian Mbappé was officially welcomed to Real Madrid on Tuesday after years of talks and speculation the Frenchman would eventually join the Spanish giants.
Fulfilling his childhood dream in front of a packed Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, he put on the Real Madrid number 9 jersey, passed on from former striker Karim Benzema.
Nearly 80,000 fans were present at Bernabéu to welcome the 25-year-old star during his official presentation as the club’s newest player.
After signing his five-year contract with the Spanish powerhouse alongside club president Florentino Pérez, Mbappé entered the stage set up at the Bernabeu to loud cheers by the Madrid fans.
Mbappé smiled broadly and waved to the fans who chanted his name, then embraced Pérez and former Madrid player and coach Zinedine Zidane, who invited Mbappé to visit the Spanish club for the first time when he was just a teenager.
“It’s an incredible day for me, » Mbappé told the crowd, in Spanish. ”Since being a kid I dreamed about playing for Madrid and today I’m here. It means a lot to me. »
Mbappé finished his speech by asking the crowd to join him and chant “Hala Madrid,” before kissing the club’s shield and kicking balls to crowds in the stands at Bernabeu.
“Now I have another dream, which is to live up to the history of this club, the best club in the world,” he said. “I’ll give my life to this club and to this shield”.
Pérez called Mbappé’s presentation a « historic act » for the club.
“Today we welcome an exceptional player who today is fulfilling his childhood dream,” Pérez said. “Today you are here because it’s something that you wanted. Thank you for making a great effort to be able to wear this white jersey”.
Mbappé’s presentation came after he played at the 2024 European Championship, where France lost to eventual champion Spain in the semi-finals.
After years of trying to sign the young player, Madrid finally reached a deal with him in June when he opted not to stay with Paris Saint-Germain and became a free agent.
Mbappé had played club soccer only for French teams — first at Monaco before joining PSG and staying there for the past seven seasons.
Pérez made signing Mbappé a strategic club priority since the powerhouse failed to lock him up when he visited the club’s facilities at age 14 and instead joined Monaco’s youth academy.
In 2021, Madrid was rejected after offering PSG a bid of 180 million euros, the same amount PSG paid Monaco for a teenage Mbappé years earlier.
