Kylian Mbappe has finally signed for Real Madrid, bringing one of modern football’s longest transfer sagas to an end and adding even more talent to the champions of Europe.
Madrid announced Mbappe’s arrival on Monday, two days after the club sealed a record-extending 15th European Cup, having beaten Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley in Saturday night’s Champions League final.
They confirmed the news in a short statement that read: “Real Madrid CF and Kylian Mbappe have reached an agreement whereby he will be a Real Madrid player for the next five seasons.”
Mbappe then expressed his delight at the move in a post on Twitter/X, saying: “A dream come true. So happy and proud to join the club of my dreams, Real Madrid. Nobody can understand how excited I am right now. Can’t wait to see you, Madridistas, and thanks for your unbelievable support. ¡Hala Madrid!”
The captain of France’s five-year contract reportedly includes a €150m (£127m) signing-on fee to be paid in instalments over the deal.
The move will only strengthen Real’s position, both in Spain as the reigning La Liga champions and ahead of next season’s reformatted Champions League. Mbappe joins a young, star-studded squad containing Jude Bellingham, Vincius Jr, Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Edouardo Camavinga, while Brazilian wonderkid Endrick is also poised to join the club this summer.
Mbappe leaves Paris Saint-Germain after seven years in the French capital, having joined from Monaco for €193m (£165m) following an initial loan move. The 25-year-old claimed six league titles in Paris as well as several domestic cups, but failed to win the Champions League, losing the 2020 final to Bayern Munich.
Mbappe’s goal will now be to win the trophy with which Madrid have become synonymous, having won six of the past 10 European titles.
He will also have eyes on finally landing the Ballon d’Or, the game’s top individual prize which has been dominated for so long by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. No player born later than 1987 has ever won the award, but that is likely to change this year as stars of the new generation – including Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Bellingham, as well as Manchester City’s Rodri and Erling Haaland – ascend to the top of the sport.
Mbappe wore the No 7 shirt at PSG but with Vinicius Jr already occupying that number at Madrid, the new signing will presumably take up the vacant No 9 jersey worn by fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema for more than a decade before he departed for Saudi Arabia last summer.
If that is the case, Mbappe would follow a line of legendary Real Madrid players who wore No 9, including Alfredo di Stefano, Hugo Sanchez and Ronaldo Nazario.
