Kylian Mbappe was given a glorious unveiling in front of 80,000 Real Madrid fans and their 15 Champions League trophies at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The French superstar beamed as he spoke about joining the 'club of his dreams' after being teed up by a performance from Andrea Bocelli, an extended montage of his highlights, and a speech from club president Florentino Perez.
Mbappe, 25, will take the number nine shirt after sealing his move from paris Saint-Germain and ending one of football's most protracted transfer sagas.
🏠 @KMbappe is in the house! 🤩#WelcomeMbappé pic.twitter.com/deN9dq8pmc
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) July 16, 2024
The forward was serenaded as the Bernabeu blasted out their iconic Hala Madrid anthem and paraded in front of fans booting footballs into the baying crowd. In imitation of Cristiano Roandlo at his unveiling, he kissed the badge.
His mother broke down in tears as he emerged and spoke of his pride to be joining the 'biggest club in the history of world football'.
'My family are so happy. I can see my mum crying. It's an incredible day for me. I've dreamed about this day since I was a kid. Being here today means a lot to me,' he said in Spanish as the crowd persistently interrupted his speech with cheers.
'Now I have another dream - and that's the dream of living up to this club's history and Madridistas' expectations. I can promise that I will give my all for the club and this badge.
'I'd also like a send a message to all the kids here today. I was once like you. If you have the passion, you'll achieve your dreams.
'I'm very excited and emotional. The fact that I'm talking so much means that it's very important for me to be here today. This is the club of my dreams and the biggest club in the history of world football.'
He then counted to three and urged the fans to chant 'Hala Madrid!'
Mbappe spent seven years in the French capital and was wildly successful, lifting seven Ligue 1 titles, but the Champions League has always eluded him.
He has agreed to take a major pay cut after signing a five-year contract and is due to receive £12.8million net a season at Madrid, down from the £21.4m net he earned in Paris.
Despite losing out in terms of basic wage Mbappe will be paid a sizeable signing on fee understood to be over £85.6m and will keep an 80 per cent share of image rights on any new commercial deals he signs after becoming a Madrid player. This breaks from the normal 50-50 split the club usually imposes on new players.
Los Blancos announced recently that he will take the number nine shirt in his first season at the club, which was vacated by Karim Benzema after the 2022-23 season.
Mbappe wore No 7 for the majority of his Paris Saint-Germain career but that jersey currently belongs to Vinicius Junior at Madrid. Meanwhile, Mbappe was France's No 10 at Euro 2024 - a number that has been Luka Modric's at the Bernabeu since 2017.
France were eliminated from Euro 2024 at the semi-final stage by Spain.
13-year-old Kylian Mbappe coached by Zinedine Zidane.👶
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 16, 2024
25-year-old Mbappe unveiled as a Real Madrid player by Zidane.⚪️ pic.twitter.com/FCn5ufYUab
Madrid had been waiting until Mbappe's Euros participation was over before announcing their plans to officially unveil him.
President Perez welcome him fondly.
He said: 'This love that you felt for Real Madrid, and you identifying with this club since your childhood, made it possible for you to be here and to overcome those obstacles on the way to your dream.'
'Today Kylian Mbappe has fulfilled his dream. Kylian, welcome home. Welcome to Real Madrid.'
The forward has long been linked with a move to Real Madrid and almost joined Los Blancos in the summer of 2022, before he made a late u-turn and penned a new deal with the Ligue 1 side.
But Mbappe found himself at odds with the French club last summer after he turned down a one-year extension to his deal, citing his unhappiness with the direction the club was taking.
PSG had been willing to give him greater incentives to stay on a long-term deal with plans afoot to recruit more France internationals and create a closer identity with the club's fan base.
His decision led to him being briefly banished from first-team training, and while he eventually returned to the starting XI under Luis Enrique, speculation continued to mount throughout the campaign that he would depart this summer.
Mbappe only officially announced he would be leaving on Friday, May 10 as he shared a heartfelt message to the club's fans.
'I wanted to speak to you. I've always said that I would speak with you when the time comes, and so I wanted to announce to you all that it's my last year at Paris Saint-Germain,' he said. 'I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks.
'I will play my last game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday. It's a lot of emotion; many years where I had the chance and the great honour to be a member of the biggest French club - one of the best in the world - which allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure.
'To grow as a player of course, by being alongside some of the best in history - some of the greatest champions; to meet a lot of people, to grow as a man as well, with all the glory and the mistakes I've made.
