Kylian Mbappé made his childhood dream come true on Tuesday by joining Real Madrid.
He wore the Real Madrid jersey for the first time at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Mbappé, who is 25 years old and from France, was introduced as Real Madrid’s newest player in front of nearly 80,000 fans at the Bernabeu.
He wore the No. 9 jersey, smiled broadly, and greeted the cheering fans, while hugging Florentino Pérez, the club president, and Zinedine Zidane, a former Madrid player and coach, who first invited him to visit the club when he was a teenager.
Speaking to the fans, Mbappé expressed his joy in Spanish, saying, “Good morning, everyone. I will try to speak Spanish. It’s fantastic to be here today. For so many years I’ve gone to sleep and dreamt about it, and today I’m achieving it. I’m a delighted boy today.”
Mbappé stood on the stage at the Bernabeu Stadium and kissed his jersey after signing a five-year contract with the Spanish club.
Pérez praised Mbappé’s arrival, calling it a big moment for the club and highlighting Mbappé’s hard work to achieve his dream.
“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 family, team executives, and several former players were present at the event, held under the closed roof of the Bernabeu.
Children from Mbappé’s charity were also there, while the song “Nessun Dorma” played in the background.
During Mbappé’s introduction, Real Madrid’s 15 European Cup victories were shown, and the message “Welcome, Mbappé” appeared on the big screens.
There were also pictures of Mbappé in Madrid’s uniform as a child and with former star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mbappé joined Real Madrid after playing in the 2024 European Championship, where France lost to Spain in the semi-finals. After many attempts to sign him, Real Madrid finally succeeded in June when Mbappé left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and became a free agent.
Before joining Real Madrid, Mbappé played for French clubs. He started at Monaco and then moved to PSG, where he spent seven seasons.
Pérez had made it a priority to sign Mbappé after failing to secure him when he was 14 and chose Monaco’s youth academy instead.
In 2021, Madrid’s offer of 180 million euros to PSG was rejected, the same amount PSG had paid Monaco for a teenage Mbappé years earlier.
