French and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé finally joined Spanish giant Real Madrid on a free transfer Monday in the wake of the Spanish club’s record 15th European success, according to multiple reports.
“Real Madrid CF and Kylian Mbappé have reached an agreement under which he will become a Real Madrid player for the next five seasons,” Real Madrid said in a statement.
The agreement will cost Real Madrid a €130 million (about $141.7 million) signing bonus spread across the duration of the deal and a salary of €26 million (about $28.3 million) a year, anonymous sources told The New York Times via The Athletic.
#WelcomeMbappé pic.twitter.com/uYVKdpQUrN
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 3, 2024
“A dream come true,” an overjoyed Mbappé posted to Twitter. “So happy and proud to join the club of my dream @realmadrid. Nobody can understand how excited I am right now. Can’t wait to see you, Madridistas, and thanks for your unbelievable support. ¡Hala Madrid!”
He is already signing Madrid shirts, Forbes reported.
Un sueño hecho realidad.
Muy feliz y orgulloso de formar parte del club de mis sueños @realmadrid Es imposible explicar lo feliz y emocionado que me siento en este momento. Estoy impaciente por veros, Madridistas, y gracias por vuestro increíble apoyo.
¡Hala Madrid! 🤍🤍🤍— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) June 3, 2024
The rumor mill had never been busier than in late 2023 when Mbappé refused to sign a contract extension with PSG, leaving the club to face the prospect of Mbappé leaving on a free transfer, according to BBC. Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal reportedly made a world-record £259 million (about $331 million) bid for the star in Jul. 2023.
Back in Aug. 2023, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti reportedly answered a question about Mbappé joining the squad by saying, “No, I rule it out 100%. I think our squad is closed and our players are thinking about our season.”
France’s forward Kylian Mbappe (R) signs an autograph for a fan wearing a Real Madrid jersey, ahead of a training session, as part of the team’s preparation for upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 Football Championship, in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines on May 30, 2024. Having been crowned European champions for the 15th time, Real Madrid have completed another successful season, but the festivities are likely to continue for a long time to come, with the imminent transfer of Kylian Mbappé expected to be made official early next week. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
Mbappé is currently the highest-paid 25-and-under athlete in the world, earning $90 million at Qatari-owned PSG, according to Forbes. He also is the sixth-highest-paid athlete in the world — with only basketball stars Giannis Antetokounmpo (5th) and LeBron James (4th), golfer Jon Rahm (2nd) and soccer legends Lionel Messi (3rd) and Cristiano Ronaldo (1st) ranked above him, according to Forbes. (RELATED: Kylian Mbappé Says He’s Leaving PSG At End Of Season: REPORT)
Mbappé thus potentially agreed to a wage cut to facilitate the move. No matter — Madrid was both his childhood dream and the club at the summit of his ex-soccer player-father Wilfried Mbappé and agent-mother Fayza Lamari’s “Project Mbappé”, according to BBC.
The face of French soccer, Mbappé has a superfan in French President Emmanuel Macron. The president reportedly intervened personally to influence Mbappé’s decision to turn down Madrid in 2022.
“I never imagined I’m gonna talk with the president about my future, about my future in my career, so it’s something crazy, really something crazy,” Mbappé told The New York Times in a rare interview. “He told me: ‘I want you to stay. I don’t want you to leave now. You are so important for the country.'”
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) congratulates Paris Saint-Germain’s French forward #07 Kylian Mbappé (L) on the podium for winning the French Cup Final football match between Olympique Lyonnais (OL) and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, northern France on May 25, 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
The new signing will likely send a chill down the spines of the likes of FC Barcelona and Athletico Madrid — two rivals of Real Madrid — as well as Manchester City, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Arsenal, which was another possible destination for the superstar.
Now Mbappé will swap PSG manager Luis Enrique for Ancelotti, who is widely hailed as the ultimate man-manager in men’s soccer, according to Sky Sports.
A ruthless finisher, Mbappé has racked up 256 goals in 308 games for PSG in just seven years, Optus Sport reported.
In case some soccer fans still cannot believe the news, Mbappé recently bought former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale’s house in the exclusive La Finca development on the outskirts of Madrid, ESPN reported.
