Kylian Mbappe unveiled at Real Madrid, terms it ‘dream come true’

Real Madrid officially unveiled France international footballer and striker Kylian Mbappe on Tuesday with Mbappe terming the move as ‘a dream come true’.

Mbappe signed a five-year deal with Real Madrid and is expected to be paid close to 15 million euros ($16.3 million) per season. Real Madrid has offered Mbappe a signing bonus of close to 100 million euros that comes through various sponsorship deals, merchandise sales and ticket sales.

The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium was packed to the sardines and Mbappe said it was a dream come true moment. “Wow. For years I’ve dreamed of playing for Real Madrid and today my dream has come true. I’m a happy boy. I’m going to give my life for this club,” the 25-year-old said.

Real Madrid club president Florentino Perez said Mbappe is an exceptional player and welcomed the France international player by saying, “Welcome to your home.”

The 25-year-old was accompanied by his parents and one of role models and former Real player Zinedine Zidane was also in attendance.

After the unveiling, Mbappe was emotional as the crowd shouted his name and kissed the jersey of the club on his new jersey.

Mbappe will be a part of a dream forward unit alongside England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Brazil attacker Vinicius Junior. The team is managed by Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Mbappe had an underwhelming Euro 2024 tournament where the striker failed to find the back of the net in open play. He was also injured in the nose in his first game and he did not take part in France’s second group match.

He then played with a mask on and admitted that it was affecting his vision and clarity. However, in the semifinal against eventual tournament champions Spain, he was without a mask and even provided an assist early in the game to Randal Kolo Muani in the 10th minute.

However, France were completely outplayed and Mbappe’s team lost the semifinal by a 2-1 margin.

At Real Madrid, Mbappe will hope to be a part of the team to win the La Liga, the Champions League and will also set sights on the Ballon d'Or.

Real Madrid will begin their La Liga commitments on August 17.