By Milcah Tanimu
Kylian Mbappé was officially presented as a Real Madrid player on Tuesday at the Bernabéu, where he vowed to “give everything” for the LaLiga champions. The event was attended by tens of thousands of enthusiastic fans.
The 25-year-old French forward signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid after leaving Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. He underwent a medical on Tuesday morning before visiting Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground to finalize his move. Mbappé then headed to the Bernabéu, where fans had eagerly queued for hours to witness his unveiling and attend the extended news conference.
“It’s incredible to be here,” Mbappé expressed in flawless Spanish during the presentation. “I dreamt for many years about playing for Real Madrid, and today that dream comes true.” He revealed that he had been learning Spanish in anticipation of his move to Madrid.
Last month, Real Madrid announced that Mbappé had agreed to join them, concluding their long pursuit of the star forward. The club had previously come close to 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 of things 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 can say one thing: 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 — selling out quickly, although some seats remained empty.
Mbappé and Pérez were joined on stage by Madrid’s honorary president, Pirri, and club legend Zinedine Zidane, who had first invited Mbappé for a trial at Madrid in 2012.
“Congratulations for having achieved 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 his first memories of Madrid, describing his visit to Real Madrid City at Zidane’s request as “crazy” and recalling watching the presentation of another team favorite, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Earlier in the day, Mbappé 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, an injury he sustained during France’s opening game at Euro 2024. Addressing the injury at his news conference, Mbappé expressed his desire to play in the UEFA Super Cup on August 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 programme possible.”
There has been no confirmation if the injury will require further treatment or surgery. Madrid are set 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 participate in those friendlies. “If the club want me to go I’ll go, if not I won’t. We’ll see what the club wants.”
