More than 80,000 spectators at the Bernabeu stadium witnessed Kylian Mbappe’s Real Madrid debut in an event considered to open the “Galacticos 3.0” era.
Kylian Mbappe’s unveiling took place at 12:00 Madrid time on July 16, or 17:00 Hanoi time the same day. The event opened with a quick video summarizing Real Madrid’s goals and journey to winning 15 Champions Leagues. Afterwards, President Florentino Perez gave a brief speech, before calling out Kylian Mbappe’s name.
The Real president told fans: “It’s time to welcome an excellent player who comes to help us continue winning.”
The striker born in 1998 walked onto the Bernabeu field with his hands raised high to greet more than 80,000 spectators.
With the number 9 shirt, Mbappe is expected to follow in the footsteps of legendary strikers at Real, such as Alfredo Di Stefano, Santillana, Hugo Sanchez, Ivan Zamorano, Ronaldo de Lima and his compatriot Karim Benzema.
In front of hundreds of cameras, Mbappe kissed the Real logo on his chest. He was supposed to join Real in the summer of 2021, but PSG refused to sell. In the end, the Spanish Royal team had to wait until Mbappe’s contract expired.
Mbappe hugged President Perez, who had previously signed the contract, and took him on a tour of the club’s trophy room.
The 77-year-old president said: “Dear Kylian, thank you for the effort, which many cannot even imagine, so that today you can wear the white shirt of the club that owns 15 Champions League titles.”
Earlier, the Real Madrid chief congratulated Spain on winning their fourth Euro title, welcoming fans back to normal life to watch the Bernabeu today. Perez considers Real a majestic temple of world football, with the Bernabeu stadium having sheltered the best players on the planet, and will continue that tradition.
Welcoming Mbappe on stage were Honorary President Jose Martinez Pirri and fellow countryman Zinedine Zidane. Below, many Real legends such as Emilio Butragueno, Santamaria, Raul Gonzalez, Solari and Arbeloa were also present and witnessed.
In December 2012, Zidane invited Mbappe to visit Real Madrid and meet the players, including his idol Ronaldo. Mbappe remained steadfast in his journey of training and playing for Monaco’s first team to adapt to top-flight football, have the opportunity to compete and improve himself. But he never stopped wanting to join Real Madrid.
President Perez held Mbappe’s hand high with pride. He once again proved his power in the football world, when he helped Real capture the best players, from the generation of Zidane, Ronaldo “fat”, Beckham to Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Kaka and now Vinicius, Bellingham and Mbappe.
“We saw his eyes light up when he met his idols at Real in 2012,” added Perez of the superstar recruit. “In the end, he achieved his dream because he never gave up. He is here because he wanted to be here and only his will can help him overcome all adversity.”
Mbappe then gave a five-minute speech, where he highlighted his dream of reaching the top with Real, the biggest club in football history. “In my sleep for the past few years, I dreamed of playing for Real,” Mbappe said. “Today, that dream has come true. I am very happy.”
Mbappe’s words made his mother Fayza Lamari cry. She is known as the “iron lady” who has guided Mbappe not only in his normal life, but also in his sporting life, with her ex-husband Wilfried. Both PSG and Real had to face this former handball player during negotiations, when she took on the role of image manager for her son.
Mbappe stressed that Cristiano Ronaldo has always been his idol, revealing that he still keeps in touch and often receives advice from his senior.
According to the French superstar, Portugal’s failure and Ronaldo’s silence at Euro 2024 do not change the fact that his senior “is still a legend of Real Madrid and world football”.
And to show his respect to Ronaldo, Mbappe recreated the chant from his public debut. “Come on, one, two, three… Let’s go Madrid,” the No. 9 striker said loudly into the microphone with his arms raised high, with a joyful expression on his face.
More than 80,000 spectators at the Bernabeu waited for this moment to join Mbappe in chorus, creating a resounding sound in a magnificent setting.
The number of spectators entering the Bernabeu today also set a record for the number of people watching the introduction of a football superstar. The previous record was 75,000 when Cristiano Ronaldo debuted for Real at the Bernabeu in the summer of 2009, after his record transfer from Man Utd.
Finally, Mbappe kissed the Real Madrid logo again.
Mbappe’s luggage to Real is the title of 2018 World Cup champion, 2021 Nations League champion with the French team. At the 2022 World Cup, Mbappe won the Golden Boot with eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final.
At the club, Mbappe is PSG’s all-time top scorer with 256 goals. During his seven years at the French club, he won 17 trophies, including six Ligue 1 titles, four Coupes de France, five Super Cups and two Coupes de la Ligue.
On an individual level, Mbappe has been named in the FIFA Team of the Year four times in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023, and in the Champions League Team of the Season four times in 2016/17, 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22. In 2017, he was voted the Golden Boy. A year later, the striker received the Kopa Award for the best under-21 footballer in the world.
Mbappe (in white shirt) takes a photo with legend Zidane, father Wilfried, mother Lamari, President Perez and Honorary President Pirri (from left to right). Behind are 15 Champions League titles.
After that, Mbappe interacted with the audience by shaking hands, signing autographs, and giving away balls.
Mbappe is expected to tour the US with Real, facing AC Milan on July 31, Barcelona on August 3 and Chelsea on August 6. The first official match is the European Super Cup on August 14, against Europa League champions Atalanta, held in Poland.
Mbappe will receive a salary of 16.28 million USD per year at Real, with a bonus of 162.8 million USD depending on achievements and level of dedication. Mbappe’s contract lasts for 5 years, until 2029. He will keep a part of the value of his personal image copyright.
This salary is much lower than the $775 million per year that Al Hilal promised to pay Mbappe if he agreed to play in Saudi Arabia. Mbappe’s salary at Real is even lower than at PSG. In his final year at the Parc des Princes, the French international was paid $81.4 million, plus a $32.56 million signing-on fee. By letting Mbappe go, PSG has freed up $238.8 million in salary funds.