KYLIAN MBAPPE has been unveiled as a Real Madrid player in front of 85,000 adoring fans.
The Frenchman agreed a five-year contract with the Spanish giants last month, ending his stay at Paris Saint-Germain.
He took a massive £51million pay cut following the move but did pick up an eye-watering £106.5m signing on bonus, as well as a wage of £12.8million a year.
Mbappe, 25, has now been unveiled at the Bernabeu after travelling to Madrid following France‘s exit from Euro 2024.
He was welcomed onto the stage by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who eagerly showed off his latest Galactico.
Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane joined the pair and they all posed for photos with Perez holding Mbappe’s arm aloft.
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Mbappe also mimicked another Real great Cristiano Ronaldo by kissing the badge on his shirt, before copying CR7’s chant from 2009, shouting out: “Uno, dos, tres… Hala Madrid!”
On the pitch, Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 Madrid appearances over a nine-year stint, winning four of his five Ballon d’Ors, two La Liga crowns and four Champions League titles in that time.
Asked if had similar goals, Mbappe – stood in front of Madrid’s 15 European trophies – said: “Of course, this is the best club to achieve something like that. Things will arrive naturally.
“I want to win the Champions League, Ballon d’Or and other titles. Right now, I’m focused on the nearer goals, adapt to the team and help my team-mates.”
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Kylian Mbappe’s Real Madrid saga
Real Madrid welcome Kylian Mbappe to the club after years of pursuit and one of the longest sagas in transfer history.
2010: Mbappe is invited to train with Real Madrid’s Under-12 side, where he bumped into Cristiano Ronaldo
2017: Real Madrid reportedly make their first attempt to sign Mbappe after a brilliant breakthrough season at Monaco, who deny claims Real Madrid bid £150million for their star
2017: PSG swoop to sign Mbappe for £166m with the Frenchman signing a contract worth £12.6m a year
2021: Real Madrid renew their interest in Mbappe and test PSG with a mammoth £170m bid, but the French giants state he is not for sale
2022: With Mbappe in the final few months of his contract reports suggest he has verbally agreed to sign for Real for £42m a year
2022: Mbappe rejects offers from PSG to renew and is widely expected to make the move to the Bernabeu
2022: The superstar then makes a dramatic U-turn as he pens a two-year deal with PSG worth £1.6m a week, which also gives him a say over hiring and firing of staff including the sporting director
2024: Real Madrid up their pursuit of Mbappe as he enters the final few months of his contract once again
Feb 2024: Reports emerge claiming Mbappe to Real is a done deal, suggesting he will sign a five-year contract worth £827,000-a-week
June 2024: Mbappe is finally confirmed as a Real Madrid player
Prior to that he addressed the crowd, saying: “Good afternoon everyone. I’m going to try to speak Spanish.
“It’s such an incredible feeling to be here, just incredible. I spent endless nights dreaming about one day playing for Real Madrid, and today I’m one happy guy.
“I want to thank the president Florentino Perez, for always having great confidence in me.
“There have been a lot of things going on, but we’ve done it. Thank you very much.
“I’d also like to thank all those people who have put in a great effort for me to be able to be here today, who have done so much for me to enjoy this moment.
“My family are so happy here, I can see my mum crying.
“Now I have another dream. That’s a dream of living up to this club’s history.
“I can promise that I will give it my all for this club and for this badge.
“I’m very excited. The fact that I’m talking so much means that it’s important for me to be here today.
“This is the club of my dreams and the biggest club in the history of world football. Hala Madrid.”
“I’d also like to send a message to all the kids that are here today. I was just like you, I had this dream and today it comes true. I can tell you that if you have the passion, you can achieve your dreams.
The forward then completed a lap around the pitch and began kicking footballs into the crowd, much to the delight of fans.
Prior to the ceremony Mbappe signed a contract alongside Perez.
The pair also posed for photographs with Mbappe holding up a Real shirt, featuring his new number nine.
Fans have been quick to snap up the shirt of their latest Galactico.
Mbappe underwent a medical ahead of his official unveiling, which has been a long time in the making.
Fans flocked to the Bernabeu to catch a glimpse of their new Galactico, and surrounded Mbappe outside the stadium hoping to get his autograph.
Mbappe was brought out onto a stage on the pitch to rapturous applause before he addressed the crowd, which included Zidane in the front row.
Mbappe will join a star-studded Madrid squad under boss Carlo Ancelotti, including England’s Jude Bellingham and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior.
But he revealed he has not been added to the players Whatsapp group yet, saying: “I’m not in the [WhatsApp] group yet, but pretty sure they’ll send me an invitation soon!”
Mbappe’s official debut is up in the air with surgery on a broken nose he suffered in the Euros group stages on the cards, despite passing his medical yesterday [TUES] morning.
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He is set to miss the club’s US tour where they face AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea before a Uefa Super Cup final clash with Atalanta on August 14.
Mbappe said: “We are yet to take the decision [on surgery]. Now these things don’t just depend on me, but I’ll definitely make sure I’m ready for when the team needs me.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
