Kylian Mbappe signed a five-year contract to move from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid on Monday and hailed the move as a “dream come true”.
The announcement is the culmination of Real’s long relationship with one of the most prolific strikers in world football.
“Real Madrid has reached an agreement for the player to stay at Real Madrid for the next five seasons,” the club said in a statement.
“I’m very happy and proud to join my dream club, @realmadrid. No one can understand how excited I am right now. I can’t wait to see you Madridistas and thank you for your unbelievable support,” added 25-year-old Mbappe. on the social networks.
He will earn 35 million euros ($38 million) per season, according to reports in Spain.
Mbappé’s last contract with PSG, signed in 2022, was a two-year contract worth around €72 million before tax, with loyalty bonuses of a similar value and a signing fee of €150 million.
Mbappé verbally agreed to move to Real in February and announced in May that he would leave PSG at the end of the season.
Real, fresh from winning their 15th Champions League on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund, moved to confirm the deal on Monday, before Mbappe was involved in France’s pre-Euro 2024 friendlies.
A World Cup winner as a teenager in 2018, Mbappe has scored a club-record 256 goals for PSG since joining the Qatari-owned club from Monaco on an initial loan in 2017.
He ended up moving to PSG in a €180 million deal – all at the age of 18.
Mbappe helped PSG win six Ligue 1 titles and led them to the 2020 Champions League final, but lost to Bayern Munich.
He scored three goals in the World Cup final against Argentina in Qatar in 2022, but still ended up on the losing side as Lionel Messi’s Argentina won on penalties.
PSG splashed huge sums to put Mbappe, Brazilian star Neymar and Messi in the same team, hoping to finally solve the Champions League puzzle. But the French club fell short.
As Mbappé’s fame grew, so did his importance for both the French team and France, the country.
President Emmanuel Macron intervened to persuade him to stay at PSG in June 2022 when a move to Real looked almost final.
– Stellar trio –
At Real, who also regained the La Liga title from rivals Barcelona this season, Mbappe will form a formidable attacking trio with Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior and England international Jude Bellingham.
A lethal trio of such unequivocal quality brings to mind Real’s brilliant era, with Cristiano Ronaldo the star of a trio that also included Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.
Mbappe idolized Ronaldo as a child and now has the opportunity to emulate the Portuguese striker, Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer.
At PSG, Mbappe was briefly the junior member of a stellar trio with Messi and Neymar. At Real, Mbappé will be the main striker.
Real signed 23-year-old Rodrygo Goes alongside 20-year-old Bellingham and 23-year-old Vinicius for Saturday’s Champions League final.
In February, coach Carlo Ancelotti was asked how he would accommodate Mbappé.
“Good players need to know how to play together. The important thing is to maintain balance,” he said. “For me, the most important things in a team are: quality and balance. If you can combine these two things, you will be successful.”
As part of a formidable rebuild, the club has already signed young midfielders to replace the retired Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, aged 39, in Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni, all aged 25 or under.
They also signed Brazilian teenager Endrick.
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