Kylian Mbappé was officially unveiled as a Real Madrid player on Tuesday in front of tens of thousands of fans at the Bernabéu, committing to “give everything” for the LaLiga champions.
Mbappé, 25, signed a five-year contract following his departure from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. After completing a medical on Tuesday morning, he visited Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground to sign his new deal.
He then made his way to the Bernabéu, where fans had lined up for hours to attend the presentation, and held an extensive news conference at the venue.
“It’s incredible to be here,” Mbappé said in perfect Spanish. “I dreamt for many years about playing for Real Madrid, and today that dream comes true.”
The France captain revealed he had been learning Spanish in preparation for his move.
“I wasn’t the best at school, but in Spanish I gave 100% — I had the dream of playing for Real Madrid,” he said.
Madrid announced last month that they had secured Mbappé, concluding their long pursuit of the star forward, after nearly signing him in 2017 and 2022.
“I want to thank the president [Florentino Pérez] first,” Mbappé said. “He believed in me from the first day. A lot has happened, but I want to say thank you. I want to thank everyone who has worked for me to come here. I know it was hard but now I’m here, I’m a Real Madrid player.
“Since I was a kid, I had one dream: to play here. Being here means a lot to me … Now I want to achieve another dream: being at the level of this club, the best in the world. I’ll give everything for this club and this badge.”
The 85,000-capacity Bernabéu was expected to be full for the presentation, with tickets made available for free to club members. However, some seats remained empty.
Mbappé and Pérez were joined on stage by Madrid’s honorary president, Pirri, and club legend Zinedine Zidane, who first invited Mbappé for a trial at Madrid in 2012.
“Congratulations for achieving a dream,” Pérez said. “I know how excited your family is. You fell in love with Real Madrid as a boy. You were here in this stadium aged 13. I know you’ll never forget that day in December 2012, when Zidane invited you to Real Madrid City.
“Your love for Real Madrid, identifying with this badge, has given you the strength to overcome every obstacle to be here as a new Real Madrid player. Today you’re here because you wanted to be. Your will has overcome all adversity. Thank you for making an effort to wear this shirt.”
Mbappé shared that Zidane gave him his first Madrid memories, recalling his visit to Real Madrid City at Zidane’s invitation in 2009 as “crazy.”
Earlier, Mbappé had arrived at the Sanitas clinic in La Moraleja, an exclusive Madrid suburb, for his medical just before 9 a.m. local time.
Doctors examined his broken nose, sustained in France’s opening game at Euro 2024. Mbappé mentioned the injury in his news conference, expressing his desire to play in the UEFA Super Cup on Aug. 14.
“We spoke this morning with the medical team, we’ll do things together, and we’ll see what we do,” he said. “I hope I’ll play the Super Cup but it depends on the boss, I have to be ready to help the team.
“It’s up to the club. They’ll give me more information in the next few days. When I come back on the date they set, I’ll get ready to help… We spoke to [fitness coach] Pintus this morning to prepare the best program possible.”
There has been no confirmation on whether the injury will require further treatment or surgery. Madrid are scheduled to travel to the United States at the end of July for a preseason tour that includes games against AC Milan, Barcelona, and Chelsea.
“The U.S. tour, we’ll see with the boss and the club,” Mbappé said when asked if he would play in those friendlies. “If the club wants me to go, I’ll go; if not, I won’t. We’ll see what the club wants.”